Susan Harper

Passed peacefully at University Hospital on Thursday, January 14, 2021, in her 77th year. Beloved wife of 56 years to Jack Harper. Treasured mother of Jeffrey Harper, of Regina; David Harper (Suzie), of Oakville; and Jennifer Harper-Ancevic (Michael), of Magnolia, MA. Much adored grandmother of Liam, Michael, Jack and Griffin. Predeceased by her father, the late Dr. E.H. Colhoun (2012) and mother, the late Jean Colhoun (2017). She will also be missed by many extended family and friends. In 1947, Susan came to Canada with her mother (a war bride), to join her father in Guelph, who returned earlier from serving in the Royal Air Force. They later settled in London, Ontario where her parents worked at Western University. Susan took on one of the toughest jobs of staying home to raise her three children, while Jack worked and travelled internationally. They moved several times for Jack’s job, taking them to New Zealand, Australia and the USA, eventually returning to London, Ontario to retire in 1997. Susan loved tennis and was very competitive, becoming a top ranked 4.5 USTA player; no matter where she lived, tennis was in her schedule. Math and sciences were her favourite subjects in school which is probably why she also loved brain teaser puzzles that used logic and could be quite difficult to solve. In 1981, she was featured in Maclean’s magazine for trying to solve the Rubik’s Magic Cube, noting it had become “a family affair” and referring to it as a “pocket-sized piece of frustration” that “drove them crazy but had a pull to it.” Susan also enjoyed the cottage, boating, gardening and sewing – which she learned from her grandmother. She made many of her children’s clothes when they were young. She was very compassionate and kind to others, dedicating many years of her life to caring for her parents as they aged. A Celebration of Susan’s Life will be held at a later date. Cremation has taken place. Interment of Susan’s ashes will be next to her parents and grandmother at the Penmount Gardens of Remembrance in Cornwall, England. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in memory of Susan are asked to consider the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or the St. Joseph’s Health Care Foundation.