Obituary for Misty Santana
Misty Santana
September 01, 1938 – February 19, 2023
Born Eleanor Donna Davis, ‘Donna Daisies’, in Toronto, to Dorothy Eileen (nee Steadman, Toronto) and Everett Davis (Sharbot Lake); she was a protective big sister, nicknamed ‘Little Red’, by her brother Larry Paul Davis. Married to Edward Culnan in 1955, she was also a young mother to Wendy Lee Culnan, Penny Gayle Thompson, Timothy Paul Culnan (deceased, Orillia 1996) and Jenny Lyn Hutchinson. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, mom was cared for in her latter years at Fairhaven Long Term Care Home in Peterborough. Her passing was the result of a fall, but she died comfortably peacefully knowing that she was surrounded by love. Granny will be sadly missed by her beloved grandchildren Justin Halladay, Wendel Thompson, Hannah Wease and partner Michael Piech, and Alissa Wease; as well as her favourite son-in-law, Barry Hutchinson. Heartfelt gratitude to Shirley Burkett, Chris Tragakis and Ann Bigalow, Barbara Reigle, and Ishi Thomas Stone for their long and devoted friendships. Working hard her whole life to recover and manage the effects of childhood trauma, Mom spent many years rebelling against expectations and finding her own path as a Gypsy-butterfly. Curious and mostly self-taught later in life, she read esoteric, metaphysical, and spiritual writings that most of us could only wonder at. Her best advice was ‘follow the path of your heart’. Mom was an example of courage and reinvention. Her impulsive and free-spirited nature saw her leap into adventures from across Ontario (Lakeshore, Long Branch, Etobicoke, North Augusta, Athens, Brockville, Peterborough, Apsley and Campbellford) to Antigonish Nova Scotia, Denver Colorado, Florida, California, Wyoming, and even to Alaska. Incredibly hard working, she was a renowned veggie cook and an amazing baker, famous for her soups, quiche, delicious brownie-cake and apple delight, as well as her heavenly cinnamon biscuits and muffins. Besides cooking, she worked in a wide variety of other jobs including as a coast guard steward on the Louis St. Laurent, a 10-month voyage that ended with a tragic fire in 1981; as file clerk in a law office; housekeeper and nanny, including for a former prime minister; real estate agent; apartment manager for seniors and disabled residents; in various retail positions; as a donut dolly; house flipper; reno contractor; and a travel agent, to name a few. She worked with deaf and disabled adults; for the John Howard Society and owned her own catering business. She also owned and operated her own antiques and craft shoppe. Passionate and enthusiastic, she volunteered with prisoners; for the Mennonites with inner city youth and homeless; and she faithfully sponsored children in need. A true Virgo, she loved everything tidy and just so. She dressed her rhyming babies like dolls and herself like a ‘trash-and-dash’ hippy. Her home and gardens were beautifully curated, and her table was always welcoming. She was an early riser, psychic and intuitive, ambitious, loved nature, and walked for miles. She loved to laugh, even at herself. Like her talented mother, Mom was rich in creativity. She wrote poetry and journals, as well as painting watercolour cards and framed art. She freely mentored and shared her wisdom and friendship with all who gratefully crossed her path. Though she never believed it of herself, she was beautiful inside and out. Mom was rich in encouragement and support to friends and strangers alike. She was the most generous person I have ever known, and, despite her limited resources, her compassion and warmth saw her sacrificially giving to help anyone who touched her heart. Her kindness was truly transformative to many she encountered. Though Alzheimer’s heartbreakingly took her from her own home, loved ones, and life as she knew it, her kindness never left her. Dearest mom, we love you and will hold you in our hearts forever. Cremation and a private family service have taken place, and mom’s ashes will be both scattered on the water by dear friends in her favourite Nova Scotia, as well as being laid to rest at Little Lake Cemetery.
Anecdotes:
Inner city Denver – approached by Hispanic gang youth who threatened to attack, she assumed a martial arts pose with a loud yell and warned them not to try anything. They hesitated before changing their minds and fled. Mom didn’t know any martial arts and was very relieved when she was able to scare them away.
Another day, a pair of rough young men tried to force her into their car. In a complete panic, she began to relentlessly scold them as a mother would, asking how they would like it if someone did this to their sister or mother. Finally, the rebuke took effect and they let her go.
When working at Capers in Kitsilano, Vancouver, she became renowned for her amazing soups, which were sold not only at the deli lunch counter, but also by the jar from the grocery section. When she later lived in Peterborough, the Holiday Inn held a soup contest that mom won, resulting in her tomato bisque becoming a regular item on their menu.
Mom loved nothing more than to go to a coffee shop for a treat and to chat with and make new friends. Whenever she spotted a newly opening business that she thought could use a boost, she would gift them with some of her own signature dishes to sell – muffins, cinnamon biscuits, brownies, apple delight, and would often replenish their shelves while the business established their own customers.
I once walked with mom when a pregnant homeless girl was looking for money. Mom asked the young woman if she was able to cash a cheque before writing one for $200.00, ‘for the baby’. Mom had never seen the woman before.
Mom is the last person anyone can imagine being in a military type of environment because she did not have a subservient nature. When rising interest rates threatened the loss of her home, she went to work at on an arctic icebreaker as a steward in the officer’s mess. Women were few in number, and harassment abounded, but mom would not take it even from her superiors. She was quickly demoted to the crew mess where the work was much more demanding and the welcome no warmer. She worked seven days a week, 12 hours each day, for ten months, but when she returned, she was able to pay off her mortgage in full.
While on the ship, through her hard work and kindness, she earned the respect of many who originally thought she ought not to have been there. They even baked her an elaborate and beautifully decorated cake on her birthday.
In the artic, she was given a rare opportunity to sightsee from a helicopter. She determined that she would go, despite her terror of heights, and captured the most amazing pictures of the tops of icebergs filled with beautiful turquoise water that she would otherwise never have seen.
When an employer was unsympathetic to the needs of his staff, or unreasonable in his expectations, mom was not above informing them. On more than one occasion, she spontaneously left her job after a few choice words and a flying apron during a busy lunch hour in which she was the only cook!
Always looking for ways to reach out to others, mom once became a pen-pal for inmates who had no other connections. The idea was for her to be a source of encouragement to men who might otherwise not have any hopes for the future. Incredibly gullible, however, she ended up being conned by proposals and offers of many promises before she learned that she was not cut out for that particular task.
A very young mother, and later a single parent, mom did an amazing job of keeping a roof over her head by flipping homes, long before it was trendy. She had an eye for potential, could spot bargains in the rough, and knew how to decorate beautifully.
Mom loved her children but did not always know how to parent. Her own trauma left her with strong fight or flight responses, and few problem-solving skills. For many years she struggled with depression. Thankfully, with the help of a kind therapist, she was eventually able to find her way to a more stable life.
As organized as she liked her home, she loved her garden to be a jumble. Whether a balcony or a front yard, chances were that you couldn’t see past the tangle of unmanicured and colourful vines, flowers, trees, and bushes, which she loved to tend.
Mom believed in the power of positive thinking, and despite her disappointments, always had faith that things would be okay. It was that unwavering faith which enabled her to take the enormous leaps in her life. She believed that everyone should follow the path of their heart. Her heart led her to drive from coast to coast on more than one occasion, alone in an old car. She once bought a house, sight unseen, halfway across the country. In mid-life, trying to rediscover her own purpose, she closed her house and lived in poverty to help inner city homeless and youth. In her pursuit of a life-partner, she went through a period when embarked on several trips to America. One was short lived when her offered accommodation proved to be an outdoor converted food locker! Though she didn’t make that connection, two of those trips left her with lasting friendships which she cherished for many years.
September 01, 1938 – February 19, 2023
Born Eleanor Donna Davis, ‘Donna Daisies’, in Toronto, to Dorothy Eileen (nee Steadman, Toronto) and Everett Davis (Sharbot Lake); she was a protective big sister, nicknamed ‘Little Red’, by her brother Larry Paul Davis. Married to Edward Culnan in 1955, she was also a young mother to Wendy Lee Culnan, Penny Gayle Thompson, Timothy Paul Culnan (deceased, Orillia 1996) and Jenny Lyn Hutchinson. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, mom was cared for in her latter years at Fairhaven Long Term Care Home in Peterborough. Her passing was the result of a fall, but she died comfortably peacefully knowing that she was surrounded by love. Granny will be sadly missed by her beloved grandchildren Justin Halladay, Wendel Thompson, Hannah Wease and partner Michael Piech, and Alissa Wease; as well as her favourite son-in-law, Barry Hutchinson. Heartfelt gratitude to Shirley Burkett, Chris Tragakis and Ann Bigalow, Barbara Reigle, and Ishi Thomas Stone for their long and devoted friendships. Working hard her whole life to recover and manage the effects of childhood trauma, Mom spent many years rebelling against expectations and finding her own path as a Gypsy-butterfly. Curious and mostly self-taught later in life, she read esoteric, metaphysical, and spiritual writings that most of us could only wonder at. Her best advice was ‘follow the path of your heart’. Mom was an example of courage and reinvention. Her impulsive and free-spirited nature saw her leap into adventures from across Ontario (Lakeshore, Long Branch, Etobicoke, North Augusta, Athens, Brockville, Peterborough, Apsley and Campbellford) to Antigonish Nova Scotia, Denver Colorado, Florida, California, Wyoming, and even to Alaska. Incredibly hard working, she was a renowned veggie cook and an amazing baker, famous for her soups, quiche, delicious brownie-cake and apple delight, as well as her heavenly cinnamon biscuits and muffins. Besides cooking, she worked in a wide variety of other jobs including as a coast guard steward on the Louis St. Laurent, a 10-month voyage that ended with a tragic fire in 1981; as file clerk in a law office; housekeeper and nanny, including for a former prime minister; real estate agent; apartment manager for seniors and disabled residents; in various retail positions; as a donut dolly; house flipper; reno contractor; and a travel agent, to name a few. She worked with deaf and disabled adults; for the John Howard Society and owned her own catering business. She also owned and operated her own antiques and craft shoppe. Passionate and enthusiastic, she volunteered with prisoners; for the Mennonites with inner city youth and homeless; and she faithfully sponsored children in need. A true Virgo, she loved everything tidy and just so. She dressed her rhyming babies like dolls and herself like a ‘trash-and-dash’ hippy. Her home and gardens were beautifully curated, and her table was always welcoming. She was an early riser, psychic and intuitive, ambitious, loved nature, and walked for miles. She loved to laugh, even at herself. Like her talented mother, Mom was rich in creativity. She wrote poetry and journals, as well as painting watercolour cards and framed art. She freely mentored and shared her wisdom and friendship with all who gratefully crossed her path. Though she never believed it of herself, she was beautiful inside and out. Mom was rich in encouragement and support to friends and strangers alike. She was the most generous person I have ever known, and, despite her limited resources, her compassion and warmth saw her sacrificially giving to help anyone who touched her heart. Her kindness was truly transformative to many she encountered. Though Alzheimer’s heartbreakingly took her from her own home, loved ones, and life as she knew it, her kindness never left her. Dearest mom, we love you and will hold you in our hearts forever. Cremation and a private family service have taken place, and mom’s ashes will be both scattered on the water by dear friends in her favourite Nova Scotia, as well as being laid to rest at Little Lake Cemetery.
Anecdotes:
Inner city Denver – approached by Hispanic gang youth who threatened to attack, she assumed a martial arts pose with a loud yell and warned them not to try anything. They hesitated before changing their minds and fled. Mom didn’t know any martial arts and was very relieved when she was able to scare them away.
Another day, a pair of rough young men tried to force her into their car. In a complete panic, she began to relentlessly scold them as a mother would, asking how they would like it if someone did this to their sister or mother. Finally, the rebuke took effect and they let her go.
When working at Capers in Kitsilano, Vancouver, she became renowned for her amazing soups, which were sold not only at the deli lunch counter, but also by the jar from the grocery section. When she later lived in Peterborough, the Holiday Inn held a soup contest that mom won, resulting in her tomato bisque becoming a regular item on their menu.
Mom loved nothing more than to go to a coffee shop for a treat and to chat with and make new friends. Whenever she spotted a newly opening business that she thought could use a boost, she would gift them with some of her own signature dishes to sell – muffins, cinnamon biscuits, brownies, apple delight, and would often replenish their shelves while the business established their own customers.
I once walked with mom when a pregnant homeless girl was looking for money. Mom asked the young woman if she was able to cash a cheque before writing one for $200.00, ‘for the baby’. Mom had never seen the woman before.
Mom is the last person anyone can imagine being in a military type of environment because she did not have a subservient nature. When rising interest rates threatened the loss of her home, she went to work at on an arctic icebreaker as a steward in the officer’s mess. Women were few in number, and harassment abounded, but mom would not take it even from her superiors. She was quickly demoted to the crew mess where the work was much more demanding and the welcome no warmer. She worked seven days a week, 12 hours each day, for ten months, but when she returned, she was able to pay off her mortgage in full.
While on the ship, through her hard work and kindness, she earned the respect of many who originally thought she ought not to have been there. They even baked her an elaborate and beautifully decorated cake on her birthday.
In the artic, she was given a rare opportunity to sightsee from a helicopter. She determined that she would go, despite her terror of heights, and captured the most amazing pictures of the tops of icebergs filled with beautiful turquoise water that she would otherwise never have seen.
When an employer was unsympathetic to the needs of his staff, or unreasonable in his expectations, mom was not above informing them. On more than one occasion, she spontaneously left her job after a few choice words and a flying apron during a busy lunch hour in which she was the only cook!
Always looking for ways to reach out to others, mom once became a pen-pal for inmates who had no other connections. The idea was for her to be a source of encouragement to men who might otherwise not have any hopes for the future. Incredibly gullible, however, she ended up being conned by proposals and offers of many promises before she learned that she was not cut out for that particular task.
A very young mother, and later a single parent, mom did an amazing job of keeping a roof over her head by flipping homes, long before it was trendy. She had an eye for potential, could spot bargains in the rough, and knew how to decorate beautifully.
Mom loved her children but did not always know how to parent. Her own trauma left her with strong fight or flight responses, and few problem-solving skills. For many years she struggled with depression. Thankfully, with the help of a kind therapist, she was eventually able to find her way to a more stable life.
As organized as she liked her home, she loved her garden to be a jumble. Whether a balcony or a front yard, chances were that you couldn’t see past the tangle of unmanicured and colourful vines, flowers, trees, and bushes, which she loved to tend.
Mom believed in the power of positive thinking, and despite her disappointments, always had faith that things would be okay. It was that unwavering faith which enabled her to take the enormous leaps in her life. She believed that everyone should follow the path of their heart. Her heart led her to drive from coast to coast on more than one occasion, alone in an old car. She once bought a house, sight unseen, halfway across the country. In mid-life, trying to rediscover her own purpose, she closed her house and lived in poverty to help inner city homeless and youth. In her pursuit of a life-partner, she went through a period when embarked on several trips to America. One was short lived when her offered accommodation proved to be an outdoor converted food locker! Though she didn’t make that connection, two of those trips left her with lasting friendships which she cherished for many years.