Ms. Lourdes Garcia Vidal

Obituary

On Jan 26, 2024, Lourdes Garcia Vidal, of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, died peacefully in Toronto, Ontario, in her 89^th year.  Dear mother of Christine, Oliver (Samara), and Jenny. Loving grandmother of Leila, Kalia and Lunenburg.  Predeceased by her siblings, Maruja (Ricardo), Celia, Alvaro, Roberto, Justo, Adolfo (Consuelo), and Julita, and most recently by her niece who was like a younger sister, Marujita (Luis).

Lourdes entered this world among the political unrest in Spain, and her early years were impacted by the ensuing civil war.  Despite that, she had fond memories of childhood and stories to share of those early years. At the age of 16 she began working at Alfonso Photos in Santiago.  She worked there for many years where she gained skills in photo retouching and photography.  During that time, she was a beloved aunt to Chelo, Puri, Luchy, Susana, Adolfo, Nuria, Patricia and Luis. At the age of 30, she emigrated from Santiago, and moved to London, UK.   She worked as an orderly at St. Mary’s Hospital.  During an immigration fair she and her friend Rosa, were offered free travel and paperwork to immigrate to Canada. They arrived during the 1967 Montreal expo, and then made their way to Toronto.   During her early time in Toronto, she lived in Yorkville, and worked at Arturo’s photography studio on St. Clair Ave West. She was laid off, and 2 weeks later, hired at Cavouk Portraits of the Colonnade.  Arto Cavouk was a renowned portrait photographer with clients such as the Right Honorable Roland Michener, Pierre and Margaret Trudeau and Queen Elizabeth II. Lourdes would have worked on many of those portraits. She became very close to Mr. and Mrs. Cavouk, who treated her like a daughter.

Socially, Lourdes found a community among the Spanish club in Toronto. She often told stories of the events she organised at the Spanish Club, and those she attended at the German Club, among others. It was at the Spanish Club that she met her ex-husband, Manuel. After the birth of their first daughter, they moved to Burlington, Ontario.  There she raised her 3 children, Christine, Oliver, and Jenny.  Doing so, away from her support network was hard, but she did it with grace.  She was devoted to her children until the end, and always put them first.  She was an excellent cook and enjoyed making special meals for her family.  She took them to swimming, and skating lessons, and made sure to enroll them in camps and various other activities. She enjoyed celebrating their accomplishments and took pride in their successes. She was a best friend to her first daughter Christine, who will miss talking to her daily.  In her later years, she loved being a grandma. Her face would light up with Leila, Lunenburg and Kalia. She loved them deeply and found great joy in being a part of their lives. She will be greatly missed by all her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

There will be a visitation on Monday Feb 5, at 11:00am followed by a service to celebrate her life at 12:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family of Mrs. Garcia Vidal asks for donations to be made to The Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy.

Visitation

Service

Cremation