Ditty van Tol

Jul 04, 2018

May 28th, 1938 - June 26th, 2018

After a long illness, Ditty died peacefully on Tuesday morning, her children at her side. Predeceased by her brother Gerrit, she leaves behind a large family: sisters Wijna and Anne-Marie and brothers Arie, Rob and Jan remained in her native Holland, while sister Anne and brother Bert also came overseas. She is survived by daughter Marieke Schrey, son Michiel Schrey and his wife Lucy Boothroyd, grandchildren Anneke and Nicholaas; also her ex-husband Eduard (Ted) Schrey with whom she remained friends; numerous Dutch and American nieces and nephews and their children. After immigrating to Kingston in 1969 from the Netherlands, where she had begun a career as a teacher and started her family, she grew into her passion for art. She received her BFA from Queen’s in 1978, and exhibited her work at the KAAI and SAW galleries, among others. With her impeccable eye for beautiful and well-made things, she made a lovely home in Burridge, spending her mature years making art and becoming known at shows from Kingston to Ottawa, notably during the Kingston Women's Art Festival and the Westport Studio Tour. Her brother Bert van Tol shared her studio on the latter occasions, and is a well-known silversmith in Kingston.. A marvellous cook, she had been a popular chef at Chez Piggy from its very first years, and also returned to her first vocation, teaching until her retirement, at the Adult Learning Centre in Sharbot Lake. She had a green thumb, loved nature, and had an unfailing artist’s talent for making every place she had been more beautiful. Fond greetings and thanks to her former neighbours Rodney Barr and Gary Barr of Burridge, and their families, for making her "country life" possible. Many thanks to the staff of St. Elizabeth Health Care and especially the Providence Care Hospital for their great kindness. A celebration of her life will be held later this summer. Friends who wish to honour her memory might consider a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society.