Cathy Francis

Remembering Cathy Francis

September 25, 1958 – October 6, 2025

Our beloved wife and mom, Cath Francis (nee Leak), passed away peacefully at home on October 6th, in her art studio – one of her favourite spaces, surrounded by love, creativity, and a view of the lake and trees she loved so much. She passed exactly as she wanted to – entirely herself – with humour, calm, and dignity, surrounded by family (and Alfie the dog nearby).

She leaves behind her husband John, children Di and Bill, her sister Barb, her sister-in-law Jane, brother-in-law Dave, brother-in-law Bob, and many treasured friends and family who made her world bright.

Cath approached the end of her life with the same curiosity, courage, and clarity that shaped the way she lived. She was deeply grateful for her family doctor, Dr. Nancy Bozek, who encouraged her to ask questions, be informed, and make choices based on her own values. Cath became an advocate for what she called umbrella care – her own term for palliative care, which she felt needed a rebranding. She saw it as something to have “handy and ready before the storm.” Under that umbrella, she found space to live fully and with intention – to move, make, laugh, and to spend time with friends and family.

She didn’t see her cancer as a battle to be won or lost, but as a part of her journey. Even when it was hard, she said it offered her opportunities for growth and connection – and for one of her favourite indulgences: eating as much Belly ice cream as she pleased.

Cath was endlessly creative and curious. She was a woman of many worlds: bookseller, artist, reader, mother, friend, thinker, creator, and walker of trails. She co-founded The Flying Dragon Bookshop in Leaside, which became a bustling and warm home for readers of all ages and earned national recognition. In later years, she volunteered every Thursday at the Dwight Library, where she and her friends would “solve all the world’s problems” (and maybe create a few new ones!) over morning coffee. As a bookseller who couldn’t quite retire, she opened Little Bear Books in support of the library. What mattered so much to her were the people – the young readers, the authors she championed, and the people who wandered in for a book and stayed to talk about everything else.

Her hands and mind were always busy with artistic adventures: weaving, quilting, fly-tying, horticulture, photography, painting, pottery, and the list goes on. She was endlessly inspired by new materials, colours, and ideas. She loved researching – maybe too much – but that was 90% of the fun, especially when planning a trip. For her, researching the trip was almost better than the trip itself. She never stopped learning, embracing new ways of doing things, and proving that ‘old dogs’ can learn new tricks.

Cath found joy in the natural world – wandering the trails following the deer paths, kayaking alongside the loons on the lake, the quiet magic of winter, the pink of the sky and the trees glowing red on the far shore in the early morning. She was rarely seen without her denim shirt uniform and artful scarves. She made every place she went a little more beautiful and interesting, and made people feel truly seen. She carried this warmth into her last chapter – with humour intact (sometimes delightfully dark), gratitude abundant, with courage, and an openness to what came next.

Cath was deeply grateful for so much, especially for the gifts of the past year – for sharing both tears and laughter with family and friends, for the dreamy weekend getaway she and John had at Bartlett Lodge, for witnessing the northern lights glowing green and pink and dancing above the lake last fall, snowshoeing with Di through Limberlost, looking out at the stars over Lake of Bays with Bill, pontoon rides to the cliffs to spot the peregrine falcons, for our family adventures in East Sooke this past spring on what felt like the edge of the world, and countless small radiant joys, like a blue heron in flight or a warm sticky bun.

She said she never could have imagined the people she’d meet or the things she’d do later in life that turned out to be so utterly fantastic. She believed the future brings quiet surprises and possibilities – moments, people, and opportunities that arrive without fanfare but change you for the better.

She encouraged us to live with kindness, courage, curiosity, and a love of the natural world. To not worry about having it all figured out. To keep moving. To do what brings you joy. To give yourself a break and just revel in gratitude – and recognize other emotions will be there along the way.

Cath didn’t want a formal funeral. We’ll plan a celebration of life in the future – to share stories, laughter, maybe a muffin or a scone, and take a walk in the woods, just as she wanted.

If you’d like to honour her memory, donations can be made to:

Friends of the Dwight Library – supporting books and community programs she loved.

Contact Librarian Cathy Fairbairn / cathy@lakeofbayslibrary.ca / (705) 635-3319

Enliven Cancer Care Muskoka (https://www.enlivenmuskoka.ca/donate) – providing wellness programs for those living with and beyond cancer.

A fuller remembrance, including her reflections and her poem “The Quiet Paddle,” can be found here: Remembering Cathy Francis.pdf (https://drive.google.com/file/d/19pqXn2c7sKEioOAHQsaHEnRaAPL9R6n0/view?usp=sharing)

We would love to keep hearing your memories – moments or photos that remind you of her. The little stories are the best ones. If you’d like to share something with us, please write to:

John: 4footfrancis@gmail.com

Di: difrancis3@gmail.com

Bill: bfrancis85@gmail.com 

With love and gratitude,

John, Di, and Bill

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Cathy Francis, please visit our floral store.