Hilary Weston: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 01:49, 4 December 2025

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Hilary Mary Weston (Template:Nee Frayne; January 12, 1942 – August 2, 2025) was an Irish–Canadian business mogul and writer who served as the 26th lieutenant-governor of Ontario from 1997 to 2002. During her five-year tenure, Weston focused on issues related to women, volunteerism and young people, drawing public attention to people working with the homeless, in hospices and as mentors to at-risk youth.

Biography

Early life

Hilary Mary Frayne was born on January 12, 1942, in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin, Ireland.^[1]^[2] Her parents William and Noel Frayne raised her and her four siblings in Dublin.^[1] She was educated at Loreto Abbey, Dalkey.^[3] Her father died when she was 17, so she helped support her family by working as a fashion model before marrying Galen Weston in 1966.^[4] They moved to Toronto in 1971, and she became a Canadian citizen.^[5] They had two children, Alannah and Galen Jr., and four grandchildren – two girls with Alannah and her husband Alex Cochrane (an interior architect), and two boys with Galen and his wife Alexandra.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Business career

Weston spent over two decades working in business and the fashion industry. As deputy chair of Holt Renfrew, she promoted Canadian design and merchandise.^[9] During the same period, she also served as a director of Brown Thomas & Co. in Ireland.^[5]

Lieutenant-governor of Ontario

Prime minister Jean Chretien appointed Weston as lieutenant-governor of Ontario on December 12, 1996.^[10] She was the second female to serve as Ontario's vice-regal, after Pauline Mills McGibbon was the first in 1974.^[10] During her investiture ceremony, on January 24, 1997, she announced she would donate her $92,000 yearly salary to charity.^[11] Her focus, as the province's 26th vice-regal, was to help young people, improve the status of women and extol the virtues of volunteer work.^[12]

Charity work

In 1979, Weston founded the Ireland Fund of Canada, a non-partisan, non-denominational organization that funds community projects in Ireland to promote peace. She continued to serve as an honorary patron of the organization for the rest of her life.^[5]

An interest in early childhood education led Weston to serve as founding chair of the Mabin School in Toronto.^[13] She also co-founded and chaired the Canadian Environment Educational Foundation,^[14] and she established the Winter Garden Show at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair.^[15]

Weston explored her longstanding interest in homes and gardens as co-author of two best-selling books, In a Canadian Garden (1989) and At Home in Canada (1995).^[16]

After her term as Lieutenant Governor, Weston spearheaded the most successful fundraising campaign in Canadian cultural history, which raised more than $250 million for the Royal Ontario Museum.^[16] She was patron of several organizations dealing with social issues, such as the Abbeyfield House Society, the Hospice Association of Ontario, the Yonge Street Mission,^[17] the Landmine Survivors Network (later known as Survivor Corps), the Ontario March of Dimes^[18] and the Prince's Trust Canada.^[19] Weston also devoted a significant proportion of her time, as well as her business and fashion expertise, to Selfridges, the London department store of which she was a director.^[20]

Later life and death

Weston spent her later years in London, where she died on August 2, 2025.^[21] The Government of Ontario held a provincial memorial service on October 17, 2025 at St. Paul's, Bloor Street.^[22]

Honours

File:Hilary Weston ribbons.jpg

Weston in 2014, wearing her then-current miniature medals

As Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Weston automatically received the Order of Ontario (OOnt) in 1997,^[23] and she served as ex officio Chancellor of the Order during her term in office.^[24] She was also automatically invested as a Dame of Justice of the Venerable Order of St. John (DStJ) in 1997.^[18]

Weston was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in 2003.^[25] She received the Canadian version of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, and automatically received the Canadian version of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.^[26]

In the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order,^[27] in recognition of donations by the Galen Weston Foundation made to the College of St. George at Windsor Castle.

Ten post-secondary institutions recognized Weston with honorary degrees, including the University of Western Ontario,^[28] Concordia University,^[18] University of St. Michael's College,^[29] University of Toronto, Massey College,^[30] Trinity College, Dublin^[31] and University College Dublin.^[32]

In 2009, Weston received the President's Award at the YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction Awards, for modelling leadership in public and private life.^[33]

Ribbon bars

File:CAN Order of Canada Member ribbon.svg
File:UK Royal Victorian Order ribbon.svg File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg File:Order Ontario ribbon bar.svg
File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg File:UK King Charles III Coronation Medal BAR.svg

Ribbon	Description	Year	Notes
File:CAN Order of Canada Member ribbon.svg	Order of Canada (CM)	2003	Member^[25]
File:UK Royal Victorian Order ribbon.svg	Royal Victorian Order (CVO)	2015	Commander^[27]
File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg	Order of St. John (DStJ)	1997	Dame of Justice
File:Order Ontario ribbon bar.svg	Order of Ontario (OOnt)	1997	Member^[23]
File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	2002	Canadian version
File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012	Canadian version
File:UK King Charles III Coronation Medal BAR.svg	King Charles III Coronation Medal	2025	Canadian version

Arms

Template:Infobox COA wide

References

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External links

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Government offices
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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Short description|26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario}}
+{{Short description|Irish–Canadian mogul & vice-regal (1942–2025)}}
-{{BLP sources|date=April 2022}}
+{{Do not confuse|Hillary Weston}}
-{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
+{{Use Canadian English|date=August 2025}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}}
 {{Infobox officeholder
 | honorific-prefix    = [[The Honourable]]
 | name                = Hilary Weston
 | honorific-suffix    = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|size=100%|CM|CVO|OOnt}}
-| image               = Hilary M. Weston.jpg
+| image               = Hon. Hilary Weston, Lieutenant Governor 1997-2002.jpg
-| caption             = Weston in 2013
+| caption             = Official portrait as lieutenant-governor of Ontario, 1997
 | order               = 26th
-| office              = Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
+| office              = Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario
 | term_start          = January 24, 1997
 | term_end            = March 7, 2002
@@ Line 18: / Line 19: @@
 | successor           = [[James Bartleman]]
 | birth_name          = Hilary Mary Frayne
-| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1942|1|12}}
+| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1942|1|12}}
-| birth_place         = [[Dublin]], [[Leinster]], Ireland
+| birth_place         = [[Dún Laoghaire]], [[County Dublin]], Ireland
+| death_date          = {{Death date and age|2025|8|2|1942|1|12}}
+| death_place         = [[London]], England
 | spouse              = {{marriage|[[Galen Weston]]|1966|2021|end=d}}
-| children            = {{hlist|[[Alannah Weston|Alannah]]<ref name=Alannah/>|[[Galen Weston Jr.|Galen]]}}
+| children            = {{hlist|[[Alannah Weston|Alannah]]|[[Galen Weston Jr.|Galen Jr.]]}}
-| occupation          = {{hlist|Businesswoman|writer}}
+| occupation          = {{hlist|Fashion mogul|writer}}
 }}
-'''Hilary Mary Weston''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CM|CVO|OOnt}} ({{nee}} '''Frayne'''; born January 12, 1942) is an Irish–Canadian businesswoman and writer who served as the [[List of lieutenant governors of Ontario#Lieutenant Governors of Ontario, 1867-present|26th]] [[Lieutenant Governor of Ontario]] from 1997 to 2002. During her five-year tenure, Weston focused on issues related to women, volunteerism and young people, drawing public attention to people working with the homeless, in hospices and as mentors to at-risk youth.<ref>[https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0978180518 Hilary Weston, "No Ordinary Time: Hilary Weston – My Years as Ontario's Lieutenant Governor," Whitfield Editions; (2007)] {{ISBN|0-9781805-1-8}}.</ref>
+'''Hilary Mary Weston''' ({{nee}} '''Frayne'''; January 12, 1942 – August 2, 2025) was an Irish–Canadian business mogul and writer who served as the [[List of lieutenant governors of Ontario#Lieutenant Governors of Ontario, 1867-present|26th]] [[Lieutenant Governor of Ontario|lieutenant-governor of Ontario]] from 1997 to 2002. During her five-year tenure, Weston focused on issues related to women, volunteerism and young people, drawing public attention to people working with the homeless, in hospices and as mentors to at-risk youth.
-==Life and career==
+==Biography==
-Born and raised in [[Dublin]], Ireland, she was educated at [[Loreto Abbey, Dalkey]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/the-weston-family/36489000.html | title=The Weston Family | date=January 15, 2018 |newspaper=[[Irish Independent]] |place=Dublin}}</ref> She worked as a model before marrying [[Galen Weston]] in 1966. They moved to Toronto in 1974, and she became a Canadian citizen. They have two married children, [[Alannah Weston|Alannah]]<ref name=Alannah>{{cite web |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/kjwM5tvsYfXMJqVhwArZJXdVXC4/appointments |title=Alannah Weston |work=Companies House |access-date=December 4, 2021 |archive-date=December 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225002323/https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/kjwM5tvsYfXMJqVhwArZJXdVXC4/appointments |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Galen Weston Jr.|Galen Jr.]], and five grandchildren – two girls and a boy with Alannah and her husband Alex Cochrane (an interior architect),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/luxury/interiors/inside-the-kensington-home-designed-by-an-awardwinning-architect-and-the-deputy-chairman-of-a105726.html|title=See inside one of south Kensington's grandest homes:19th century house with formal ballroom has been beautifully transformed for modern living|author=Elfreda Pownall|publisher=www.homesandproperty.co.uk|date=November 1, 2016|access-date=January 19, 2020|archive-date=August 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810001255/https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/luxury/interiors/inside-the-kensington-home-designed-by-an-awardwinning-architect-and-the-deputy-chairman-of-a105726.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and two boys with Galen and his wife Alexandra.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.writerstrust.com/News/News-(1)/Press-Release-Archive/Press-Releases/WT-Hilary-Weston-Prize.aspx|title=Writers & Books &#124; Writers' Trust of Canada|access-date=May 21, 2012|archive-date=January 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103072802/http://www.writerstrust.com/News/News-(1)/Press-Release-Archive/Press-Releases/WT-Hilary-Weston-Prize.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>
+===Early life===
+'''Hilary Mary Frayne''' was born on January 12, 1942, in [[Dún Laoghaire]], [[County Dublin]], [[Ireland]].<ref name ="Legacy Obit">
+{{Cite news| date         = August 9, 2025| title        = Hon. Hilary Mary Weston | work         = [[The Globe and Mail]]| location     = [[Toronto]]| publisher    = [[The Woodbridge Company]]| page         = B19| issn         = 0319-0714| url          = https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/theglobeandmail/name/hon-weston-obituary?id=59160097| access-date  = August 10, 2025| via          = [[Legacy.com]]| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20250810204341/https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/theglobeandmail/name/hon-weston-obituary?id=59160097 | archive-date = August 10, 2025| url-status   = live}}</ref><ref name="Irish Examiner - Tributes after death">
+{{cite news| author       = Examiner Staff| date         = August 4, 2025| title        = Tributes after death of Hilary Weston, the woman who helped build Penneys and Brown Thomas| work         = [[Irish Examiner]] | location     = [[Cork (city) | Cork, Ireland]]| publisher    = The Irish Times Trust GLG| issn         = 1393-9564| url          = https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/companies/arid-41681636.html| access-date  = August 10, 2025| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20250810193412/https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/companies/arid-41681636.html| archive-date = August 10, 2025| url-status   = live}}</ref> Her parents William and Noel Frayne raised her and her four siblings in [[Dublin]].<ref name ="Legacy Obit"/> She was educated at [[Loreto Abbey, Dalkey]].<ref name = "Irish Independent 2018 Article">{{Cite news| author       = Independent Staff| date         = January 15, 2018| title        = The Weston Family | work         = [[Irish Independent]]| location     = Dublin| publisher    = [[Mediahuis Ireland]]| issn         = 0021-1222| url          = https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/the-weston-family/36489000.html| access-date  = August 4, 2025| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20250125084237/https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/the-weston-family/36489000.html| archive-date = January 25, 2025| url-status   = live}}</ref> Her father died when she was 17, so she helped support her family by working as a fashion model before marrying [[Galen Weston]] in 1966.<ref name="OBIT - Globe and Mail">{{Cite news| last1        = Kirkup| first1       = Kristy| last2        = Woo| first2       = Andrea| date         = August 3, 2025| title        = Philanthropist and former Ontario lieutenant-governor Hilary Weston dies at 83| work         = The Globe and Mail| location     = Toronto| publisher    = The Woodbridge Company| issn         = 0319-0714| url          = https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-former-ontario-lieutenant-governor-hilary-weston-obituary/| access-date  = August 4, 2025| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20250804015945/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-former-ontario-lieutenant-governor-hilary-weston-obituary/| archive-date = August 4, 2025| url-status   = live}}</ref> They moved to [[Toronto]] in 1971, and she became a Canadian citizen.<ref name="OBIT - Irish Times">{{Cite news| last1        = Malone| first1       = Emmet | last2        = Slater| first2       = Sarah| date         = August 3, 2025| title        = Hilary Weston, who helped build Penneys and Brown Thomas, has died aged 83| work         = [[Irish Times]]| location     = [[Dublin]]| publisher    = The Irish Times Trust GLG| issn         = 0791-5144| url          = https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/08/03/hilary-weston-who-helped-build-penneys-and-brown-thomas-has-died-aged-83/| access-date  = August 3, 2025| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20250803194529/https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/08/03/hilary-weston-who-helped-build-penneys-and-brown-thomas-has-died-aged-83/| archive-date = August 3, 2025| url-status   = live}}</ref> They had two children, [[Alannah Weston|Alannah]] and [[Galen Weston Jr.|Galen Jr.]], and four grandchildren – two girls with Alannah and her husband Alex Cochrane (an interior architect), and two boys with Galen and his wife Alexandra.<ref name=Alannah>{{cite web |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/kjwM5tvsYfXMJqVhwArZJXdVXC4/appointments |title=Alannah Weston |work=Companies House |access-date=December 4, 2021 |archive-date=December 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225002323/https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/kjwM5tvsYfXMJqVhwArZJXdVXC4/appointments |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/luxury/interiors/inside-the-kensington-home-designed-by-an-awardwinning-architect-and-the-deputy-chairman-of-a105726.html|title=See inside one of south Kensington's grandest homes:19th century house with formal ballroom has been beautifully transformed for modern living|author=Elfreda Pownall|publisher=www.homesandproperty.co.uk|date=November 1, 2016|access-date=January 19, 2020|archive-date=August 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810001255/https://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/luxury/interiors/inside-the-kensington-home-designed-by-an-awardwinning-architect-and-the-deputy-chairman-of-a105726.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name ="Writers Trust">{{Cite press release| last1         = De Groot| first1        = Debby | date          = May 11, 2011| title         = Writers' Trust of Canada Raises Literary Prize to New Heights: Sponsorship from the Honourable Hilary Weston Will Help Propel Prominence of Canadian Nonfiction| location      = Toronto | publisher     = [[Writers' Trust of Canada]]| agency        = | url           = http://www.writerstrust.com/News/News-(1)/Press-Release-Archive/Press-Releases/WT-Hilary-Weston-Prize.aspx| access-date   = August 4, 2025| archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20180103072802/http://www.writerstrust.com/News/News-(1)/Press-Release-Archive/Press-Releases/WT-Hilary-Weston-Prize.aspx| archive-date = January 3, 2018| url-status   = dead}}</ref>
-Prior to her appointment as Lieutenant Governor, Weston spent over two decades working in business and the fashion industry. As deputy chair of [[Holt Renfrew]], she promoted Canadian design and merchandise. During the same period, she also served as a director of [[Brown Thomas|Brown Thomas & Co.]] in Ireland, co-founded Torwest in the United States, and served as vice-chair and design director of the Windsor Club at the [[Windsor, Indian River County, Florida|Windsor]] gated community in [[Vero Beach, Florida]].{{cn|date=May 2022}}
+===Business career===
+<!-- This section needs expansion with properly sourced information. Her ''Irish Times'' obituary states many Irish and United Kingdom businesses she was involved with. As well, her work in the United States is alluded to in one article from ''The Star'', but more sources and information is needed. Don't sole-source from these two articles.-->
+Weston spent over two decades working in business and the fashion industry. As deputy chair of [[Holt Renfrew]], she promoted Canadian design and merchandise.<ref name="OBIT - Canadian Press">
+{{Cite news| last1        = Sousa| first1       = Aaron | date         = August 3, 2025| title        = Hilary Weston, fashion mogul and former Ontario lieutenant-governor, dead at 83| work         = [[The Canadian Press]]| location     = [[Toronto]]| url          = https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/entertainment/hilary-weston-fashion-mogul-and-former-ontario-lieutenant-governor-dead-at-83/article_887f300e-bb4c-5f32-9d8e-685eec0ac317.html| access-date  = August 4, 2025| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20250804014213/https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/entertainment/hilary-weston-fashion-mogul-and-former-ontario-lieutenant-governor-dead-at-83/article_887f300e-bb4c-5f32-9d8e-685eec0ac317.html| archive-date = August 4, 2025| url-status   = live}}</ref> During the same period, she also served as a director of [[Brown Thomas|Brown Thomas & Co.]] in Ireland.<ref name="OBIT - Irish Times" />
-In 1979, Weston founded the [[The Ireland Funds|Ireland Fund of Canada]], a non-partisan, non-denominational organization that funds community projects in Ireland to promote peace. She continues to serve as an honorary patron of the organization.
+===Lieutenant-governor of Ontario===
+Prime minister [[Jean Chrétien|Jean Chretien]] appointed Weston as [[Lieutenant Governor of Ontario |lieutenant-governor of Ontario]] on December 12, 1996.<ref name ="Lt.Gov. appointment">
+{{Cite news| last1        = Tesher| first1       = Ellie| date         = December 13, 1996| title        = From private privilege to public service| work         = [[The Toronto Star]]| publisher    = [[Torstar]]| pages        = A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-weston-welcomes-her-ch/178131734/ A2]| issn         = 0319-0781| url          = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-from-private-privilege/178130668/| access-date  = August 4, 2025| via          = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> She was the second female to serve as Ontario's [[Viceroy|vice-regal]], after [[Pauline Mills McGibbon]] was the first in 1974.<ref name="Lt.Gov. appointment" /> During her [[investiture]] ceremony, on January 24, 1997, she announced she would donate her $92,000 yearly salary to charity.<ref name ="Lt.Gov. Investiture">{{Cite news| last1        = Kastner| first1       = Susan| date         = January 25, 1997| title        = Weston gives vice-regal pay to foundation| work         = The Toronto Star| publisher    = Torstar| pages        = A10| issn         = 0319-0781| url          = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-toronto-star-weston-gives-vice-regal/178129843/| access-date  = August 4, 2025| via          = Newspapers.com}}</ref> Her focus, as the province's 26th vice-regal, was to help young people, improve the status of women and extol the virtues of volunteer work.<ref name ="Focus on Youth and Women">{{Cite news| last1        = Mittelstaedt| first1       = Martin| date         = January 25, 1997| title        = Weston will assist the young, women: New Lieutenant-Governor begins her term by donating annual $92,000 salary to charity| work         = The Globe and Mail| location     = Toronto| publisher    = [[Thomson Corporation]]| page         = A2| issn         = 0319-0714| url          = https://www.proquest.com/docview/1143609056| access-date  = August 4, 2025| url-access   = subscription| id           = {{ProQuest |1143609056}}}}</ref>
-An interest in [[early childhood education]] led Weston to serve as founding chair of the Mabin School in Toronto. She also co-founded and chaired the Canadian Environment Educational Foundation, and she established the Winter Garden Show at the [[Royal Agricultural Winter Fair]]. Weston has explored her longstanding interest in homes and gardens as co-author of two best-selling books, ''In a Canadian Garden'' (1989) and ''At Home in Canada'' (1995).
+===Charity work===
+In 1979, Weston founded the [[The American Ireland Fund#The Ireland Funds|Ireland Fund of Canada]], a non-partisan, non-denominational organization that funds community projects in Ireland to promote peace. She continued to serve as an honorary patron of the organization for the rest of her life.<ref name="OBIT - Irish Times" />
-After her term as Lieutenant Governor, Weston spearheaded the most successful fundraising campaign in Canadian cultural history, which raised more than $250&nbsp;million for the [[Royal Ontario Museum]]. She is patron of several organizations dealing with social issues, such as the Abbeyfield House Society, the Hospice Association of Ontario, the [[Landmine Survivors Network]] (later known as [[Survivor Corps]]), the [[Ontario March of Dimes]], the [[Prince's Trust Canada]] and the Yonge Street Mission. Weston also devotes a significant proportion of her time, as well as her business and fashion expertise, to [[Selfridges]], the London department store of which she is a director.
+An interest in [[early childhood education]] led Weston to serve as founding chair of the Mabin School in Toronto.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Weston |first=Hillary M. |url=https://www.lgontario.ca/custom/uploads/2017/08/No-Ordinary-Time-1.pdf |title=No Ordinary Time: My Years As Ontario's Lieutenant Governor |date=2007 |publisher=Whitfield Editions |isbn=978-0-9781805-1-5 |page=18}}</ref> She also co-founded and chaired the Canadian Environment Educational Foundation,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clarke |first=Stephanie |date=December 9, 2016 |title=Hilary Weston |url=https://dolcemag.com/successstories/hilary-weston-26th-lieutenant-governor-of-ontario/20205 |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=[[Dolce (magazine)|Dolce]]}}</ref> and she established the Winter Garden Show at the [[Royal Agricultural Winter Fair]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 12, 2008 |title=May 12 08 Gazette |url=https://digital.library.queensu.ca/_flysystem/repo-bin/2021-11/gazette20080512.pdf |access-date=August 4, 2025 |work=Queen's Gazette |department=Queen's Digital Collections |publisher=[[Queen's University at Kingston]] |page=3 |volume=XXXIX |issue=9}}</ref>
+Weston explored her longstanding interest in homes and gardens as co-author of two best-selling books, ''In a Canadian Garden'' (1989) and ''At Home in Canada'' (1995).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Paulin |first=Michèle |date=November 2008 |title=Honorary degree citation – Hilary M. Weston |url=https://www.concordia.ca/offices/archives/honorary-degree-recipients/2008/11/hilary-weston.html |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=[[Concordia University]]}}</ref>
+After her term as Lieutenant Governor, Weston spearheaded the most successful fundraising campaign in Canadian cultural history, which raised more than $250&nbsp;million for the [[Royal Ontario Museum]].<ref name=":0" /> She was patron of several organizations dealing with social issues, such as the Abbeyfield House Society, the Hospice Association of Ontario, the Yonge Street Mission,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dumont |first=Edith |date=August 3, 2025 |title=Lieutenant Governor's statement on the passing of the Honourable Hilary Weston |url=https://www.publicnow.com/view/2C9999C62BFA80F545B889DDDB5D830686B5622A?1754275604 |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=Lieutenant Governor of Ontario |via=Public now}}</ref> the [[Landmine Survivors Network]] (later known as [[Survivor Corps]]), the [[Ontario March of Dimes]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=November 6, 2008 |title=Honorary doctorate for Hilary Weston |url=http://cjournal.concordia.ca/archives/20081106/honorary_doctorate_for_hilary_weston.php |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=Concordia Journal |publisher=Concordia University}}</ref> and the Prince's Trust Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=December 10, 2018 |title=Hilary Weston Tribute Event – Prince's Trust Canada |url=https://dolcemag.com/events/2018/hilary-weston-tribute-princes-trust/31316 |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=Dolce}}</ref> Weston also devoted a significant proportion of her time, as well as her business and fashion expertise, to [[Selfridges]], the London department store of which she was a director.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stephenson |first=Madeline |date=December 7, 2011 |title=Hilary Weston: Art, Philanthropy, and the Family Name |url=https://dolcemag.com/general-interest/specialfeatures/hilary-weston-art-philanthropy-and-the-family-name/10945 |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=Dolce}}</ref>
+===Later life and death===
+<!-- This section needs expansion with properly sourced information -->
+Weston spent her later years in [[London]], where she died on August 2, 2025.<ref name = "Extra Obit">{{Cite news| last         = Slater| first        = Sarah| date         = August 4, 2025| title        = Hilary Weston, businesswoman behind Penneys and Brown Thomas, dies aged 83 | work         = Extra.ie| location     = Dublin| publisher    = [[DMG Media]]| url          = https://extra.ie/2025/08/04/news/irish-news/hilary-weston-businesswoman| access-date  = August 10, 2025 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20250810195807/https://extra.ie/2025/08/04/news/irish-news/hilary-weston-businesswoman
+| archive-date = August 10, 2025| url-status   = live}}</ref> The Government of Ontario held a provincial memorial service on October 17, 2025 at [[St. Paul's, Bloor Street]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Provincial Memorial Service for the late Honourable Hilary Weston, |url=https://www.tps.ca/media-centre/news-releases/64322/ |website=Toronto Police Service |access-date=October 17, 2025}}</ref>
 ==Honours==
-As Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Weston received the [[Order of Ontario]] in 1997,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Order of Ontario |url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/order-ontario |url-status=live |access-date=January 20, 2023 |website= |publisher=[[Government of Ontario]] |archive-date=October 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025045127/https://www.ontario.ca/page/order-ontario/ }}</ref> and she served as chancellor of the order during her term in office. She was also invested as a Dame of Justice in the [[Venerable Order of St. John]] in 1997. Weston was appointed as a Member of the [[Order of Canada]] in 2003.<ref>{{Canadian honour|Type=orc|ID=5074|accessdate=January 3, 2021}}.</ref> She received the Canadian version of the [[Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal]] in 2002 and the Canadian version of the [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] in 2012. In the [[2015 Birthday Honours]], she was made a Commander of the [[Royal Victorian Order]].
+[[File:Hilary Weston ribbons.jpg|thumb|Weston in 2014, wearing her then-current miniature medals]]
+As Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Weston automatically received the [[Order of Ontario]] (OOnt) in 1997,<ref name="OOnt">{{Cite web |title=The Order of Ontario |url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/order-ontario |url-status=live |access-date=January 20, 2023 |website= |publisher=[[Government of Ontario]] |archive-date=October 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025045127/https://www.ontario.ca/page/order-ontario/ }}</ref> and she served as ex officio Chancellor of the Order during her term in office.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 5, 2023 |title=Knighthoods to Canadians Page 02 |url=https://www.blatherwick.net/documents/Canadian%20Orders%20Decorations%20and%20Medals%206/002%20-%20Canadian%20Orders%20%26%20Knighthoods.pdf |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=Canadian Orders Decorations and Medals |publisher=Blatherwick.net |page=41}}</ref> She was also automatically invested as a [[Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)|Dame of Justice of the Venerable Order of St. John]] (DStJ) in 1997.<ref name=":1" />
-Ten post-secondary institutions have recognized Weston with honorary degrees, including the [[University of Western Ontario]], [[University of St. Michael's College]], [[University of Toronto]], [[Massey College]], [[Trinity College, Dublin]] and [[University College Dublin]]
+Weston was appointed as a Member of the [[Order of Canada]] in 2003.<ref name="OC">{{Canadian honour|Type=orc|ID=5074|accessdate=January 3, 2021}}.</ref> She received the Canadian version of the [[Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal]] in 2002, and automatically received the Canadian version of the [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 20, 2017 |title=Writers' Trust of Canada Announces Finalists for $60,00 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction |url=https://nationtalk.ca/story/writers-trust-of-canada-announces-finalists-for-6000-hilary-weston-writers-trust-prize-for-nonfiction |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=NationTalk}}</ref>
-In 2009, Weston received the President's Award at the [[YWCA]] Toronto ''Women of Distinction Awards'', for modeling leadership in public and private life.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ywcatoronto.org/Assets/YWCA/Documents/WoD/YWCA_Toronto-WoD_AlumnaeList-FA.pdf |title=Women of Distinction Awards |work=YWCA Toronto |access-date=January 17, 2021 |archive-date=September 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915235324/https://www.ywcatoronto.org/Assets/YWCA/Documents/WoD/YWCA_Toronto-WoD_AlumnaeList-FA.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
+In the [[2015 Queen's Birthday Honours]], she was made a Commander of the [[Royal Victorian Order]],<ref name="RVO2015">{{Cite web |last=Treble |first=Patricia |date=May 7, 2018 |title=Who's invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding? |url=https://macleans.ca/facebook-instant-articles/whos-invited-to-prince-harry-and-meghan-markles-wedding/ |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=[[Maclean's]]}}</ref> in recognition of donations by the Galen Weston Foundation made to the College of St. George at [[Windsor Castle]].
+Ten post-secondary institutions recognized Weston with honorary degrees, including the [[University of Western Ontario]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miner |first=John |title=Mother joins daughter at Western convocation |url=https://owl.uwo.ca/access/content/group/8fbd3a95-07c9-4f1f-8c17-97d8fb741d3c/Adult%20Learner%20Stories%20Archive/Mother%20Joins%20Daughter%20at%20Western%20Convocation.pdf |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=University of Western Ontario}}</ref> [[Concordia University]],<ref name=":1" /> [[University of St. Michael's College]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=Spring 2002 |editor-last=Burns |editor-first=Mary Ellen |title=In This Issue |url=https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/sm-magazine-spring02.pdf |access-date=August 4, 2025 |work=DoubleBlue |publisher=University of St. Michael's College |page=5 |volume=40 |issue=1}}</ref> [[University of Toronto]], [[Massey College, Toronto|Massey College]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 8, 2014 |title=Galen & Hilary Weston Honored for Global Leadership in Business & Philanthropy |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/galen-hilary-weston-honored-global-202629799.html |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=Yahoo Finance}}</ref> [[Trinity College Dublin|Trinity College, Dublin]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 10, 2004 |title=Trinity honours seven wonder women |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/trinity-honours-seven-wonder-women/25905702.html |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=Irish Independent}}</ref> and [[University College Dublin]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 16, 2009 |title=UCD honours Ireland's greatest living playwright, Brian Friel with Ulysses Medal |url=https://www.ucd.ie/news/2009/06JUN09/170609_ulysses.html |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=University College Dublin News}}</ref>
+In 2009, Weston received the President's Award at the [[YWCA]] Toronto ''Women of Distinction Awards'', for modelling leadership in public and private life.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ywcatoronto.org/Assets/YWCA/Documents/WoD/YWCA_Toronto-WoD_AlumnaeList-FA.pdf |title=Women of Distinction Awards |work=YWCA Toronto |access-date=January 17, 2021 |archive-date=September 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915235324/https://www.ywcatoronto.org/Assets/YWCA/Documents/WoD/YWCA_Toronto-WoD_AlumnaeList-FA.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
 ===Ribbon bars===
 <div class="center">
 [[File:CAN Order of Canada Member ribbon.svg|100px]]
+<br />
 [[File:UK Royal Victorian Order ribbon.svg|100px]]
 [[File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg|100px]]
+[[File:Order Ontario ribbon bar.svg|100px]]
 <br />
-[[File:Order Ontario ribbon bar.svg|100px]]
 [[File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]]
 [[File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]]
+[[File:UK King Charles III Coronation Medal BAR.svg|100px]]
 </div>
@@ Line 59: / Line 87: @@
 {| class="wikitable"
 |- bgcolor="silver" align="center"
-|Ribbon || Description || Notes
+|Ribbon || Description || Year || Notes
+|-
+|[[File:CAN Order of Canada Member ribbon.svg|50px]] || [[Order of Canada]] (CM) || 2003 || Member<ref name="OC"/>
 |-
-|[[File:CAN Order of Canada Member ribbon.svg|40px]] || [[Order of Canada]] (CM) || 2003
+|[[File:UK Royal Victorian Order ribbon.svg|50px]] || [[Royal Victorian Order]] (CVO) || 2015 || Commander<ref name="RVO2015"/>
 |-
-|[[File:UK Royal Victorian Order ribbon.svg|40px]] || [[Royal Victorian Order]] (CVO) || 2015
+|[[File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg|50px]] || [[Venerable Order of Saint John|Order of St. John]] (DStJ) || 1997 || Dame of Justice
 |-
-|[[File:Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg|40px]] || [[Venerable Order of Saint John|Order of St. John]] (DStJ) || 1997
+|[[File:Order Ontario ribbon bar.svg|50px]] || [[Order of Ontario]] (OOnt) || 1997 || Member<ref name="OOnt"/>
-*Dame of Justice
 |-
-|[[File:Order Ontario ribbon bar.svg|40px]] || [[Order of Ontario]] (OOnt) || 1997
+|[[File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|50px]] || [[Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal]] || 2002 || Canadian version
 |-
-|[[File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|40px]] || [[Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal]] || 2002
+|[[File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|50px]] || [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] || 2012 || Canadian version
-*Canadian version
 |-
-|[[File:QEII Diamond Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|40px]] || [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal]] || 2012
+|[[File:UK King Charles III Coronation Medal BAR.svg|50px]] || |[[King Charles III Coronation Medal]] || 2025 || Canadian version
-*Canadian version
 |-
 |}
@@ Line 106: / Line 133: @@
 ==External links==
-* {{OCC|5074}}
+{{Sister project auto}}
+* {{Cite web |author=GG Staff |year=2025 |title=Hilary Weston |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-6814 |work=The Governor General of Canada |location=Ottawa, Ontario |publisher=[[King's Printer for Canada]] |access-date=August 4, 2025}}
 {{s-start}}
@@ Line 114: / Line 142: @@
 {{s-aft|after=[[James Bartleman]]}}
 {{s-end}}
 {{ONLG}}
 {{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Weston, Hilary}}
 [[Category:1942 births]]
+[[Category:2025 deaths]]
 [[Category:20th-century Irish people]]
 [[Category:21st-century Irish people]]
-[[Category:People from Sandymount]]
+[[Category:Businesspeople from County Dublin]]
-[[Category:Living people]]
+[[Category:Businesspeople from Ontario]]
-[[Category:Lieutenant governors of Ontario]]
-[[Category:Members of the Order of Canada]]
-[[Category:Irish emigrants to Canada]]
-[[Category:Weston family|Hilary]]
 [[Category:Canadian billionaires]]
+[[Category:Canadian Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order]]
+[[Category:Canadian non-fiction writers]]
 [[Category:Canadian philanthropists]]
+[[Category:Canadian businesswomen]]
+[[Category:Canadian women non-fiction writers]]
+[[Category:Canadian women viceroys]]
+[[Category:Dames of Justice of the Order of St John]]
 [[Category:Irish billionaires]]
-[[Category:Canadian non-fiction writers]]
+[[Category:Irish emigrants to Canada]]
-[[Category:Canadian women non-fiction writers]]
-[[Category:Canadian women in business]]
-[[Category:Businesspeople from Ontario]]
 [[Category:Irish expatriates in Canada]]
+[[Category:Lieutenant governors of Ontario]]
+[[Category:Members of the Order of Canada]]
+[[Category:Members of the Order of Ontario]]
+[[Category:People educated at Loreto Abbey, Dalkey]]
+[[Category:People from Sandymount]]
+[[Category:Weston family|Hilary]]
 [[Category:Women in Ontario politics]]
-[[Category:Canadian women viceroys]]
-[[Category:Canadian Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order]]
-[[Category:People educated at Loreto Abbey, Dalkey]]
-[[Category:Businesspeople from County Dublin]]

Hilary Weston: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 01:49, 4 December 2025

Contents

Biography

Early life

Business career

Lieutenant-governor of Ontario

Charity work

Later life and death

Honours

Ribbon bars

Arms

References

External links

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Hilary Weston: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 01:49, 4 December 2025

Biography

Early life

Business career

Lieutenant-governor of Ontario

Charity work

Later life and death

Honours

Ribbon bars

Arms

References

External links

Navigation menu

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