2 Messages

1. Roderick Young on December 19, 2025 at 11:41 am

   Eulogy for Donna Young

   We gather today to remember and celebrate the life of Donna Young, a woman whose journey carried her from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the heart of Toronto, and whose spirit touched all who knew her.

   Donna was born the daughter of Carl and Mary Herman, and from the beginning, her life was marked by resilience and curiosity. In the 1960s, she and her mother Mary moved east to Toronto, a city that would become the backdrop for so many of her life’s chapters. It was here, in a book store on Yonge Street just south of Shuter (Young’s Books, owned by Barry Young) that Donna met the man who would become her husband. Together, they built a family, raising two children: Roderick, followed two years later by his sister Vanessa.

   As a mother, Donna was innovative and resourceful. She delighted in finding creative ways to make ordinary moments memorable; like roasting hot dogs over a Sterno can, turning a simple meal into an adventure. Her children grew up in what is now called Old Toronto, first on John Street, where they watched helicopters airlift supplies during the construction of the CN Tower, and later on Bright Street, where the family settled into a neighborhood rich with history and character.

   Donna’s intellectual curiosity was boundless. In the 1970s, she studied the Fortran programming language and worked at Sun Life Assurance, running software on room-sized minicomputers; a testament to her pioneering spirit in an era when technology was just beginning to reshape the world. Later, in the late 1980s, she pursued her Electronics Engineering Technologist diploma at the prestigious R.C.C. School of Technology, proving that reinvention and learning were lifelong pursuits for her.

   Her creativity extended beyond technology. In the early 1990s, Donna established a business designing custom furniture, blending artistry with practicality. Around this time, she also learned to drive a stick-shift; a skill she came to prefer over automatic transmissions, symbolic of her determination to master challenges on her own terms.

   Life was not without its difficulties. The furniture business led to a painful estrangement from Vanessa, a reminder that even strong families face trials. Yet Donna continued forward, guided by her passions and convictions. From the 1970s onward, she was deeply engaged in nutrition and alternative medicine, studying vitamins, essential oils, and holistic practices. By the late 1990s, she transformed this knowledge into a vocation as a home care worker, a role she cherished for the rest of her life. In caring for others, she found purpose and fulfillment.

   In her later years, Donna embraced the joy of discovery in everyday life. She developed a fondness for thrifting and vintage stores, finding beauty and value in the overlooked and forgotten; much as she had always done in her relationships, her work, and her passions.

   Donna’s life was a tapestry woven from curiosity, creativity, resilience, and care. She was a woman who embraced change, who found joy in small adventures, and who sought meaning in both tradition and innovation. Today, as we remember her, we honor not only the milestones of her journey but the spirit with which she lived it: inventive, determined, and deeply human.

   May her memory be a blessing, and may we carry forward her example of curiosity, care, and courage in our own lives.

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   • Cindy Petersen on January 23, 2026 at 4:52 pm

     To:Rodwick & Vanessa
     Sorry to hear of your deep loss at the moment – I have been a neighbor here on Bright Street., and often waved to her when she
     came by to her house to take care of things. Would like to hear from you – Cindy Petersen – 416-360-8457 – thanks

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