Helene Isobel Sellery (nee Atkinson)
May 12, 1936 – April 10, 2025
Helene Isobel Sellery (nee Atkinson) lived a lifetime of adventure – a lifetime of family and friends, contribution, community, love and laughter.
She was born during the Great Depression in Toronto, and died from the complications of Parkinson’s Disease in London, Ontario at 88 years old. She joins in Heaven her parents, Herbert and Nell, and her siblings, Marian, Ruth-Ann and Lynne. She will be missed by her brother Walt (Marie), her kids – Janet (Kevin), Alan (Jennifer), Ruth (Dave), Julie (John) and Bruce (Dennis) and grandkids – Megan, Patrick, Scott, Michael, Kate, Alison, Sarah, Andrew, Colin, Graham, Ian and Asher.
Mom loved, loved, loved her family, and was proud of every one of us. She was always so excited to have “all her chickies home in the nest” for a meal, and that meal would always include dessert – a raspberry pie, grasshopper pie, carrot cake, or chocolate chip cookies, and homemade with love. She spent lots of time with her grandkids – baking, sewing, reading, travelling and listening to their stories. She was grateful for the relationships she built with her former husband Gord, his wife Cathy and their daughter Maria. And she was so happy to attend big gatherings with the entire family all together.
She was a proud community pharmacist for over 50 years, and a certified Trager practitioner. She kept an extraordinary garden, loved the theatre and always made an effort to see the migrating swans during the few days they touched down in spring.
Like her beloved swans, she was a traveller too. Europe in her 20s, then to Labrador for a year with the Grenfell Mission. For her 50th birthday, she trekked Nepal, and over the next few decades visited Peru, Tibet, China, Corsica, Haida Gwaii, Algonquin Park, Patagonia, Antarctica, and Africa…where she climbed over 19,000 feet to summit Mount Kilimanjaro.
Mom’s adventure included looking inward too. After her marriage ended, she sought out a new path – a brave move in 1980. She joined a journal group, two women’s groups, became the cook for the Shalom Schoolhouse, and built the most extraordinary community of friends who loved her, supported her and fed her soul.
Looking back on her life recently, she referred to herself as “the Welcomer”. She brought together family and friends for countless meals, hosted visiting artists in her extra bedroom and made everyone feel like she was so glad they came, beginning every visit with a strong (and long) hug.
Mom was an incredibly strong woman both physically and emotionally. She really, truly lived. And then she died as she wished – with dignity, and in her final hours, surrounded by all of her kids.
The family would like to thank Dr. George Kim, Dr. John Kay, and the staff at Byron Family Medical Centre, University Hospital, and Fox Hollow Retirement Residence. We are also deeply grateful for the kindness and caring of Jodi and Perry and At Your Service For Seniors.
A funeral was held for the family and her ashes will be laid to rest alongside her parents. There will be a Celebration of Life on Saturday, June 7th in London. Please reach out to the family for details. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Stephen Lewis Foundation (Grandmothers) or Parkinson Canada.