ARLENE EDITH CAMERON (SMITH)

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ARLENE EDITH CAMERON

Arlene Edith Cameron (née Smith) died one year ago on September 21, 2020 at the age of 89. She was predeceased by her husband Jack, her parents, Edythe and Elmer Smith, and her children, Catherine and William.
She is survived, and much missed, by her children Lorna (Daniel), James and Elizabeth, as well as her grandchildren Benjamin, Thoby, Adam, Sarah and Gage.
Arlene was born in Chicago, Illinois and lived briefly in Fort William (Thunder Bay), but spent most of her early years in Winnipeg's West End. She graduated from Daniel McIntyre Collegiate where she excelled academically and showed an early aptitude for sports, playing on multiple teams. Lasting friendships were made there; she remained close with Evelyn Hamlin, Louise Johnson, and Elaine Ellis for the rest of her life.
On May 29, 1954, cementing their relationship nurtured on tennis and badminton courts, she married John (Jack) Cameron. Catherine, their first child, was born in 1955, followed by William in 1956. The couple later lost Catherine in a car accident and William to a birth injury.
Despite profound loss, Arlene created for her children a happy home life. Summers found her shepherding her children several times a week to the swimming pool at the Winnipeg Canoe Club, where the family later participated and competed in badminton and tennis, and made good use of the golf course. In winter, she ferried them to music, gymnastics and swimming lessons in her little red Comet. She and Jack also took the time to organize many memorable camping and canoe trips for the family.
In 1986, Arlene became a grandmother. Her society and hospitality were the heart of the family's Cunnington Avenue house where, for decades, three generations gathered for Christmas, birthdays, Sunday dinners, or simply coffee and a sandwich, or a G&T and a table tennis match. She was an accomplished cook, to which she would never concede, but it was her personality and conversation that drew people to her. She was intelligent, warm, and curious about the world. She read broadly and often. History and biography were favourites, but she also consumed novels regularly, and kept abreast of news and politics.
Once her children were older, Arlene became more involved with tennis and played doubles regularly at the Winnipeg Canoe Club and, after those courts closed, at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club. She never lost her love for the game and cheered on one of her current favourite players from her hospital room during her final days.
Arlene learned to play bridge as an adult, progressing through study and practice to be a formidable player. In her later years, especially, her bridge games provided her a lively circle of friends. She anticipated and enjoyed her bridge games immensely and was often able to play twice a week until the pandemic put a stop to gatherings in early 2020.
For all her other merits, we remember and celebrate Arlene for her kindness. She loved generously and never judged harshly. She was a great listener and a wonderful mother, grandmother, friend and companion. We miss her every day but try to take comfort in the goodness of the life that she lived.

"At the end of the day, people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel."
(Maya Angelou)

A small open house was held in her yard on September 27, 2020 to commemorate her life.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Sep 18, 2021