Obituary of Annie Belfry

Nan Belfry, beloved mother, grandmother and friend, has said farewell at 98 years old. Born in Mimico, Ontario on August 9th, 1914, Annie Greig Hutcheon Gair, better known as “Bunty”, was the only child of Alexander Gair and Annie Hutcheon. Her father joined the Canadian Army in the spring of 1916. To be closer to her husband, Annie and Bunty moved to Lasswade, Scotland. Sadly, Alexander died in the battlefields of France in June of 1917. Upon their return to Toronto, Bunty continued attending school and finished at the Commercial School on Danforth Avenue and started work with the Bank of Montreal in 1931. She remained with the bank for some time and steadily rose through the organization. In the late, 30s, she traveled to London, England and worked near Trafalgar Square in the Bond Market. As the clouds of war gathered once more, she returned to Toronto. In 1940 her mother passed away. In 1949, she married Harold A. Belfry and settled in rural Ontario as proprietors of a General Store. After raising their two children, Nan gradually returned to the working world. She started in the offices at the Lindsay Arsenal until it closed in the late 50's and then joined Trent University, first as an administrative assistant to the Financial Director and then later to the founding president, Dr. T.H.B. Symons. In 1973 she became administrative assistant to the chair of Native Studies until her retirement. It was during this time that her beloved husband, Harold passed away. Nan found retirement not to her liking and as a result, returned to Trent to work on native business management courses and eventually became acting Executive Director of the Anigawncigig Institute. Subsequently, she moved to Peterborough living on the edge of the Otonabee River for many years. In 1989, in recognition of her important contributions to Trent University, she received an award for eminent service in 1989. Nan was always a volunteer and her list includes numerous organizations: Grasshill Women's Institute, Council Member of the Ontario College of Art, the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee, the Peterborough Art Gallery and Showplace Peterborough. She loved art, literature and music and in her later years, rekindled her love of the piano and took up rug hooking with a passion, all the while never missing a Globe and Mail crossword puzzle. At the age of 94, she moved to Fredericton, New Brunswick to be closer to her daughter. Her remaining years were peaceful and even at 97 years of age, she could still impress; at a New Year's Eve party, a performance of Aulde Lang Syne was greeted with much enthusiasm. Whenever she found things difficult or if anyone complained, she was quick to point out that it takes “A stout heart to a sty Brae.” She was a remarkable woman and lived an amazing life. She will be fondly remembered by her loving family, son Peter and wife, Lisa, daughter Susan and husband, Pieter and her granddaughters, Leslie and Allison Belfry. Personal condolences may be offered through www.yorkfh.com