Helen (Leavoy) Boomer 1921-2011

On October 18, 2011 Helen Boomer passed away early in the morning in the home where she had been living in Windsor, Ontario.

Grandma Helen was a beautiful woman. This is what stands out the most about her: how lovely she appears in all of her photographs, and how she carried herself with a sense of pride. I believe that somewhere in Grandma there was an artist: a woman who could express herself beautifully by making things.

In my room I have a box that Grandma Helen once decoupaged. It is a golden-green, adorned with summer lilies and daffodils, some raised, and all placed just so. The handle of the box was selected for its suppleness and golden colour. In its velvet interior is a delicate handkerchief that she must have used at some point in time. It reminds me of the care that Grandma’s generation took to all that they did: all of the small details carry a sense of duty, pride and loveliness. I suppose that her aesthetics were passed down to my mother and I, the need to make things beautiful and inspiring in our lives. For this I am thankful.

As a child, when visiting family in Windsor, I often had to share a bed with Grandma. I remember looking through her lipsticks and brooches, dazzled. Grandma had an aura of glamour that was impressive and in this sense she performed beauty as an art. At a few points in time I made attempts to carry this glamour in my own appearance through plastic gummy bracelets and sparkled or touled hairbands, but these were difficult shoes to fill.

The other side of Grandma that I would like to remember is her character: something surprisingly willful and defiant. I remember her smoking in the National Art Gallery bathroom long after the ban. She also told stories of her and her sister’s escapades across the border as youth (these stories should remain private here, but suffice to say that they are a good laugh). This could be something playful and vital, and at other times frustrating and shocking.

As an adult, I recognize the transformative hardships that Grandma and many people of her generation went through. The strength that she must have had to persist through difficult times: her willful character, and possibly even an important ability to forget these difficulties. These are other qualities that we might not recognize at first, but they must be acknowledged.

Grandma Helen lived a long and impactful life. I will remember her and all of her stories.

Public visitation of her casket will be on Friday, October 21, 2011 from 1:00-5:00 pm at Family First Funeral Home (Dougall Ave.) in Windsor, Ontario. Her funeral service and internment will be on Saturday, October 22, 2011.