Elaine Gardam

In loving memory of Elaine Gardam; our Mom, Gramma, Great Gramma, Aunt, Cousin, and Friend. Elaine passed away in her sleep at the Stirling Park Retirement Home on May 1st, 2025. 

Predeceased by her parents Joe & Edith Wood, her sister and brother-in-law Shirley & Holm Beuschel, and many other relatives, Elaine is also predeceased by her husband John, and daughter-in-law Claire.

Elaine will be missed by her 4 sons/spouses, grandchildren and great grandchildren:

John and Mary (Sarah/Jamie/Jack/Norah, Jonathan/Kamerine/Jeremy/Kyla); Bob and Carol (Jacob/Alanna, Kevin/Melissa, Emilie/Scott/Hadley); Dave and Kathryn (Kate/Ian/Ben/Lucy, Erin); and Michael and Jodi (Annabelle/Cam, Olivia/Rob, and their mother Valerie Sales).

Her nephews, nieces, friends, other relatives, and special friend Mary Lou Stoddard, will miss her greatly as well.

Mom was born and raised in Toronto until Grade 6, when her family moved to Pembroke. It was then when Mom met Mary Lou, and they have remained best friends until Mom’s passing.

Many fond memories of Mom’s years growing up in Pembroke were often shared with her family.

Mom and Dad met on a blind date at a Pembroke Lumber Kings hockey game. Mom would say Dad was loud and obnoxious at that game. Something must have clicked however, as they were married in 1955 and shared a wonderful long life together. Upon marrying Dad, Mom became part of the military family. She did not look forward to moving every two or three years and would often say “I’m not moving again John!”, they would then pack up the four kids and the dog, and move to the next military base.

Mom was a Registered Nurse who did her training at the Brockville General Hospital. This role was a perfect fit for her, as she was such a caring and compassionate person. She was very proud of her nursing career, which was often interrupted by the moves to new towns. Her friends she met in Nursing School became life long friends. She thoroughly enjoyed attending her nursing reunions in Brockville with Mary Lou and her other nursing buddies. This continued until quite recently.

Raising their family of four boys was Mom’s greatest joy. She was our greatest cheerleader, defender and advocate, and would move mountains to give her kids the opportunities to succeed. Mom had a natural ability to make all of us feel special. As the years went by and the next generations of grandchildren and great grandchildren arrived, she provided them with that same level of love, compassion and dedication. The love they received was returned to her completely.

Mom was a dog lover. Over the years, all our dogs became her dogs too. When any of us were coming for a visit, she was disappointed if we were not bringing the dogs.  Cats were rare in our family, but she loved them as well. They could often be found on her lap or in her walker basket.

Mom was Dad’s caregiver for many years until his passing in 2019. Her level of commitment to our Dad’s care was incredible, and far beyond what most could expect.  Mom moved into the Stirling Park Retirement Home in 2017 and began a new chapter in her life.  Here she made many new friends, enjoying movie nights, participating in the many activities, and socializing. We were fortunate to host regular family gatherings in their kitchen and library rooms, where lots of memories and laughter continued to be shared.

A big thank you from our family to the staff at Stirling Park for your care and compassion over the past 8 years. You felt like family to our Mom.

Cremation has taken place. A family internment will be held at the Beechwood Cemetery. Please join us for a celebration of life for Elaine on Monday July 14 at 3pm, at the Stirling Park Retirement Home, 310 Titan Private, Nepean

In lieu of flowers, if friends and family so desire, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

We take comfort in knowing Mom and Dad are reunited, and will continue to watch over all of us:)