Obituary of Dawn Frances Ann Gibson Fortin
For our mother Dawn Frances Ann Gibson Fortin (Gramma)
June 28, 1945 – March 13, 2025
Our mother lived in a world of colour. She painted her life in brilliant hues - fiery oranges, ocean blues, the deep greens of spring. Even on gray days, she found a way to splash something bright across them, whether from the clothes she wore, the canvases that adorned her home, her laughter, or the way she wrapped us in love. Mom was an artist in every sense of the word—not just with a brush but with her spirit. She saw beauty where others saw blank spaces, possibility where others saw endings. Her paintings were not just art; they were stories, emotions, and memories woven together, a reflection of her vibrant spirit. And it was this spirit that taught us to look for light, to chase it, and to create it when we couldn’t find it. She taught us, her daughters, that there was nothing in this world we could not do.
Gramma as she came to be known by everyone, loved fiercely, and she was loved just as deeply. She built a home not just of walls, but of warmth. Her three grandchildren were the lights of her later years. She was endlessly proud of them, her face lighting up whenever she spoke their names and she filled their worlds with the same magic she once filled ours.
Despite the setback with her health this past Christmas, Gramma worked hard every day to get stronger, convincing herself and everyone around her that she wasn't going anywhere. She was determined, cracking jokes that left the room in tears, flipping off doctors (though never to their faces) when they delivered unwelcome news, and making friends wherever she went. Having just joined the summer flower committee at Lanark Lodge, Gramma kept living doing the things she loved. She was optimistic and hopeful, refusing to believe she wouldn’t have more time. Her humour, resilience, and endless generosity will live in our memories always.
And when the time came—too soon, as it always would have been—she left this world in the arms of her lifelong love, Bob, the man who walked beside her through every colour and every storm. Gramma and Grampa shared a lifetime of love, laughter, and adventure, moving back and forth across Canada. They were looking forward to celebrating 60 years of marriage this coming October. Grampa was steadfast in his support to Gramma through her decades long fight with Cancer. That she passed in his comforting arms is the tale of a love story we can all only hope to experience. It was not the ending any of us wanted, but it was the one she would have chosen: wrapped in love, in warmth, in the same tenderness she had given us all her life.
Gramma was a devoted wife, a loving mother, a cherished grandmother, a caring sister, and a dear friend to many. She leaves behind her beloved husband, Robert Fortin; her daughters, Serena Deschamps (Ron Deschamps) and Samantha Fortin (Graham Atkinson); her grandchildren, Gabrielle Bernier (Victor Avelar), Samuel Bernier (Elie Pablo), and Lou Binet (Maddie Beauchamp); her sisters, Irene Gauthier (the late Eugene 'Sonny' Gauthier), Joy Clancy (Tom Clancy), and Gay Rose Page; and many dear friends and extended family.
Gramma was not ready to go. We were not ready to let her. There is comfort in knowing she was received by her mother Viola Gibson whom she loved dearly. Her story is not over, it is still unfolding in the hearts of those who loved her. There are canvases bursting to be covered in colour. To honour her, we ask that you take the pieces of Dawn’s spirit she shared with you and continue to spread them in your own lives. Let her kindness, creativity, and laughter live on through the ways you love and express yourself.
A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday May 24th 2025 at Blair and Sons Funeral Home, 15 Gore St. W., Perth from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Please join us to share a cup of tea and her favourite lemon treats. At 3:15 we will welcome anyone who would like to speak, or share a memory of Gramma Dawn. In honour of her love for bright colours, we invite guests to wear something colourful to reflect the joy she brought into our lives.
In lieu of flowers to the family, we request that donations be sent to a long-term care home in your community or to the Canadian Cancer Society in her memory.
And one last thing—we make you this promise: when you meet Dawn again, she will not have Bob’s nose.
