Obituary of Lenore Pearl BEECHAM

Lenore Pearl Beecham (née Sharpe) March 28, 1928 - January 30, 2021 Lenore passed away peacefully in Shelburne at Dufferin Oaks Nursing home where in her final days, she was surrounded by her children, Marilyn, Sharon, and Rob, the compassionate and loving staff of the home and her fellow residents who cared for her much like family. Despite the restrictions of COVID, she was able to be supported through FaceTime and window visits by many of her family including her son-in-law Frank, her grandchildren, Josh, Jenny, Richard, Rachel, Holden, Larissa, Derek and Lucas, her great grandchildren, Rosalyn, Jasper, Mika, Amelia and Iris, and her in-laws, Joy, Eleanor, Jessica, Art and Daphne. In her 90th year, after living independently since the death of her husband Walter 17 years prior, she chose to move to Dufferin Oaks where her oldest daughter, Marilyn, worked as a Nurse Practitioner. This was a real blessing as she both found the support and community she sought and, unlike many others, was never fully separated from her family during the COVID lockdowns. Lenore lived an amazing and inspiring life. She was born and spent much of her childhood in Toronto, speaking often of her 2006 Dufferin Street childhood home from which she attended Rawlinson Public School and Vaughan Road Collegiate. COVID was not the first pandemic she experienced. She talked of spending many summers with her grandparents at the Thompson farm where her parents sent her to avoid Polio. She came from a loving, generous family including her brothers Don, Ray and Bruce and their wives Enid, Joy and Marion who regardless of distance all remained close throughout their lives. Lenore trained and worked as a teacher, and then enrolled in Toronto Bible College where she met her future life partner, Walter Beecham. After graduating from the Toronto Bible College in 1955, she enrolled at the United Church's Centre for Christian Studies (majoring in Christian Education and Pastoral Care) and graduated as a Deaconess. After a romantic proposal on a New Year’s Eve sleigh ride, near the Beecham farm, they were married on a beautiful lilac scented day - May 21,1955 and spent 46 years together working, raising their family, growing, learning and pursuing their passions. They made their first home in Saskatoon where Walter was pursuing theological studies at St Andrew's College, while Lenore was employed as a social worker for The Family Welfare Association. Lenore and Walter both had dreams of missionary work, Walter wanting to go to India and Lenore wanting to go to Africa. When Walter graduated in 1958, they were commissioned as United Church of Canada missionaries to South Korea. After taking Korean language courses at Yale, they set out, by ship, to South Korea where they worked together for 22 years, from 1959 to 1981, in partnership with the PROK (Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea). They and their children lived in Korea during turbulent and complicated times. They arrived shortly after the war and were present during the student uprisings, among many other major societal changes. Lenore and Walter raised their family in Korea during the days when North Korea was threatening war and sending suicide assassination teams into the the city where they lived. Together Lenore and Walter experienced the rebuilding of the country and its economy. Their passion for social justice led them to bear witness to the human rights abuses that unfortunately often come with such times. There was a period where their phones were likely tapped and their home was thought to be servailed by the Korean CIA. They lived through the stress of harbouring a Korean Minister who had demonstrated for human rights and had a million won price on his head. He would have been tortured and likely lost his life if found. Despite the challenges, Lenore loved Korea, its people and the many friends she made there. She was so proud of how successfully the country rebuilt itself and often commented when she saw new products and innovations in this country, that the Koreans thought of them long before they appeared in Canada. After retiring from the mission field, having completed her Bachelor of Arts though Maryland University extension program, she went back to the University of Toronto and earned her Master’s of Divinity at Emmanuel College, Victoria University. Following this, in 1983, at age of 55, she became an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada. For a period of time, she served as an assistant minister of the Korean Central Church in Toronto. In 1983, Lenore became the interim Minister at St. James United Church. During her term there, she held early morning Bible Studies at 7 a.m., which evolved into a group called “Morning Meds”. This group met every Thursday morning, and continued for almost 40 years in neighbouring churches, nurturing lifelong friendships. When Lenore accepted a call to Richview United Church, she broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first woman lead minister in a Metro Toronto congregation. She served there for 8 years from 1984 until her retirement in 1992. In 1984, her book Song of the Soul: In Celebration of Korea was published. In 1988, she was selected and sent as a voting delegate to the 32nd United Church of Canada General Council where after listening to the vigorous debate, fervent prayer and searching for truth, she courageously voted for a resolution resulting in the church declaring that all people regardless of sexual orientation be welcomed as full members of the United Church, and that all members were eligible to be considered for ordered ministry. During her retirement, when she performed weddings at Applewood, she was often the only minister of the group willing to perform same sex weddings. She loved doing weddings at Applewood, where she presided over a wide range of weddings, including secular, interdenominational and interfaith weddings, in keeping with her spirit of openness and acceptance of all of God’s people. She was almost 90 before she stopped performing weddings there. Upon retirement in 1992, she and Walter returned to St. James United Church in Etobicoke, and quickly became involved in the life of the congregation. There she was blessed to have an amazing spiritual community with whom she continued her work in social justice, healing and meditation, as well as a vibrant social support network. She continued to lead the “Morning Med group”, participated in a Christian mediation group, was a member of the Social Justice Working Group, served on the Nominations Committee, volunteered at the Food Basket and helped with the Seniors Luncheon, as well as served as a presbytery representative. She studied Reiki and helped provide services at St.James’ Healing Room. According to the church secretary, “she continued to be active in church services, preaching and reading scripture. Lenore would always welcome newcomers to St. James, getting to know them and introducing them to other members of the congregation.” According to her former minister Coral, “she was wonderful at inviting one person in a room full of people for lunch at her condo as a form of pastoral care and often hosted meetings in her living room.” Her ever smiling face, positive attitude and ability to connect to others both in times of joy and sorrow, will be fondly remembered. Lenore also served on the St. James Outreach Committee. It was her idea and initiative that led to there being an outreach offering five times a year on Holy Communion Sundays - a way of sharing the bread and wine with the world in need and looking beyond themselves to serve others. She was especially keen to support the Jane-Finch and Shalom House Community Ministries and the local UCC Camping Ministry at Sparrow Lake. As one of the roles of committee members was to educate and promote the work of the chosen charity within the congregation, Lenore would help to obtain or write bulletin announcements and Epistle articles about the important contributions of these groups and helped to arrange for a speaker from the recipient organization. Lenore was also a District Visitor, hand delivering the Epistle newsletter four times a year to St. James members in her condo complex. Since her four way heart bypass in her mid 50’s, at which time she was told it would be good for 10 years, she worked hard to stay fit and healthy, walking daily, swimming and exercising. In her retirement she set up exercise programs in her condo and church such as fitness and yoga which changed to Sit Fit and seated yoga as she and her friends aged. Both with her husband Walter and later on her own, she travelled the world. To quote Lenore in a letter to her brother Ray “Walter and I travelled a lot of the world in the years when not many people travelled as they do today. We saw Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa but when we saw Quartz Bay...it was the most beautiful spot we had ever seen...Then the trips we took together...the winter holiday to Hawaii, the Alaska cruise…. the trip to China where Ray wore his Mao hat on the bus reading the Red book, becoming a good communist...Then the trip to Russia...what a great time… cruising the Waterways of Russia.” She arranged and led trips all over the world with Rustad Tour, where she and her friends went to Turkey, Cuba, Costa Rica and Germany where they saw the Oberammergau Passion play put on once every 10 years by the local town. As her mother before her, Lenore was a staunch supporter of the NDP and its social justice causes, serving for a time on the local executive. When her good friend Judy Jones ran for the NDP, both Lenore and Walter worked hard on her campaign. At election time she would go door to door with the local candidate, introducing them to her friends and acquaintances. She also participated in many demonstrations, always trying to fight for justice. Lenore had two favourite sayings that she shared frequently with her children as they grew up, “My mother used to say, If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” and “I live simply so others can simply live.” Lenore faithfully passed on the important life lessons that she learned from her mother to her own children. Lenore had a love of music, likely instilled in her by her father who was a tenor in the church choir and filled their home with music. She sang in choirs including Marjoire’s Chorus and performed lively musical numbers with her husband and church friends at nursing homes in the neighbourhood. . She loved the amazing music at St. James and often invited her family to join her for their very special musical events. She enjoyed live operas and cinema simulcasts. She shared her love of music with her children and grandchildren whom she so generously took to musicals such as Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Jane Eyre, Rent, Crazy for You and Les Miserable. Throughout her life, the Beecham home, wherever it was, welcomed all comers from all over the world. Walter and Lenore believed they were blessed to have the homes they did and chose to share that blessing over the years with so many people, enriching their lives and the lives of their family. Their home and cottage was always open to friends and family. In later years, being near the airport made Lenore’s home an easy and welcoming stop. Three of her grandchildren, Joshua, Rachel and Holden were welcomed into her home when they needed a place to stay while working and studying in Toronto. Her cottage at Salmon Trout Lake, a 150 year old log cabin moved from the Beecham farm, was a source of joyous memories for friends and family alike. Lenore’s life was one of service and joy. She rarely missed the eleven o’clock news as she always wanted to know what was going on in the world so she would know what needed her attention. She took her role as a steward of this earth and our world very seriously. Lenore was much loved by friends and family alike. She will be sorely missed and fondly remembered. We can take comfort in acknowledging the indelible mark she left on us, inspiring us to follow in her footsteps thus ensuring that her impact on the world will endure, as she lives on in each of us. If you would like to make a donation in mom’s memory, here are the details for donating to her beloved St James United Church in Etobicoke (400 Burnhamthorpe Road, Etobicoke, ON M9B 2A8) 1. By cheque including your mailing address with the cheque (for tax receipts for any donations over $10) 2. Email money transfers to; stjames_uc@rogers.com (please include your full mailing address in notes section) 3. St James United Church Website; Donate using VISA or Debit card to; http://www.stjamesunitedchurch.com/donate/ Online condolences may be made at www.imfunerals.com In Memoriam Funeral Services Inc. has been given the honour to serve the Beecham Family.