Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, gourmet cook, avid reader. Born April 16, 1915, in Toledo, Ohio. Died April 22 in Toronto of natural causes, aged 95.

Elizabeth Jane Fraser, known as Betty Jane, was born in Toledo, Ohio, the middle of three children of Canadians John Beverley Fraser and Elizabeth Webber How.

Betty Jane’s father Bev was a businessman and an entrepreneur. He began one of the first executive headhunter companies in Canada, called J.B. Fraser Executive Placement Consultants. This was where Betty Jane had one of her first jobs, following her studies of French and Latin at the University of Toronto.

Betty Jane and her family moved frequently during her childhood. It’s no wonder then that she stayed in the Toronto home she purchased with her first husband, Wilson Hill, for 45 years. The next 23 years were spent in an apartment that she shared with her second husband, Radcliffe Loghrin.

Betty Jane and Wilson married in 1939 and lovingly raised two sons, Lawrence and Douglas. A supportive and involved mother, Betty Jane instilled in her children a strong set of values. She taught her boys how to play bridge, the value of money and the importance of good manners.

She taught them to appreciate classical music, treating them to annual Christmas concerts at Massey Hall. She taught them the importance of contributing to society through her participation on Boy Scout committees, tireless volunteer work at St. Leonard’s Anglican Church and as a member of a group at North York General Hospital, affectionately known as the Flower Ladies, who delivered up to 80 floral arrangements a day to hospital patients.

Most importantly, she instilled in her children the importance of family. Betty Jane’s parenting wisdom has spread down through the generations, which include seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. She was the Hill family matriarch and adored by all.

During summers spent at the family cottage in Jackson’s Point, Ont., her children and grandchildren splashed in the lake, celebrated birthdays and enjoyed many wonderful meals. Betty Jane was an excellent cook. In her late 80s, after going out for dinner with her grandson and his family, she asked to stop at a kitchen store. She purchased a dessert torch to add to her collection of kitchen utensils.

She recently shared her secret recipe for her brownies with another grandson, and when she was no longer able to make the brownies for family parties, he took over the job. She would beam with pride each time she lovingly praised his efforts.

Betty Jane attended every family party and quietly sat in the midst of the chaos, happily observing. She was a special lady who will be missed by all who knew her.