PEARSON, Esther (née Ginter)

November 16, 1931 — July 26, 2019

Esther passed peacefully, in her sleep, at Willow Manor on Friday, July 26, 2019, at 87 years of age.  She leaves behind her daughter Beverley Bramah, son-in-law William Bramah, her sister Marian Sheard, and many nieces and nephews.
Esther Pearson (nee Ginter) was born on November 16, 1931. Esther’s family immigrated to Minitonas, MB before Esther was born.  She was the youngest of eight children, six girls and two boys. Esther’s father died when she was six years old.  Her mother remarried when Esther was 15.  Esther went to live with her sister, Marian, and her husband in Toronto, ON.  She began working at Philco when she was 16 years old, then on the advice of her brother-in-law, she enrolled in a hairdressing course, attending classes in the evening and on Saturdays.

While working at Philco, she met Bill, her future husband, on a double date.  It wasn’t long before they fell in love and were married on July 22, 1950. With her new skills, Esther worked for six years as a hairdresser.  Bill also changed jobs and started to work for Honeywell, a job that he stayed with until retirement. Not long afterwards, they bought their first home on Manor Road in Toronto. In September 1956, Esther and Bill welcomed their only child, Beverley. After a few years, Esther quit hairdressing and became a full-time mother.  On the advice of her sister, Marian, Esther got Beverley into fashion modeling for eight years.

The family moved to Scarborough to be closed to Bill’s work in 1967.  By then Bill was working in the Engineering Dept. at Honeywell, as he had a strong aptitude for fixing faulty parts and Esther began working as a cashier at IGA and then Dominion.  Esther also found her niche when she quit her cashier job and became a Mary Kay Consultant.  She eventually became a very successful team leader and earned the use of a Topaz company car for a year. She won many personal sales awards over her 25-year career with Mary Kay.  She found a great deal of personal satisfaction working for Mary Kay and was known for always being impeccably dressed, with not a hair out of place.

Bill and Esther retired in 1992 and moved to Kelowna, BC, to enjoy twenty “golden years” with a wonderful group of friends they made in the adult community they lived in. They were always very social throughout their years, and were known as consummate hosts to friends and family. Sadly, Bill passed away at 85 years of age in June 2012, of a heart attack, just short by a month of their 62nd wedding anniversary. Esther moved to the coast, to spend her remaining seven years living with Beverley and her husband in Maple Ridge. Esther’s last five months were spent in a Chartwell Home, due to her increasing dementia.

She will be missed by many for her radiant smile, kind manner and elegant style.  She was a devoted mother who always put family first. As Bill said at their daughter’s wedding: “She’s as beautiful on the inside, as she is on the outside.” They are together forever now.

A Funeral Service will be held Tuesday, August 6, 2019 at 10:00 am at Springfield Funeral Home, 2020, Springfield Road, Kelowna, BC and a Celebration of Life will be held in Ontario on Saturday, August 31, 2019 at 1:00 pm at Emmanuel United Church, 420 Balmoral Road, Brampton ON. In lieu of flowers, the family would like you to consider making a donation to the Heart & Stroke Foundation, www.heartandstroke.ca. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.springfieldfuneralhome.com.

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