Memorable Manitobans: Evelyn May Booth Iliffe (1904-2003)

Educator, community activist.

Born at Stanton, Derbyshire, England on 1 March 1904, she was the eldest of three daughters of Thomas James Iliffe and Emily Jane Morley. As a child, she crossed the Atlantic three times: in 1907, to settle at Calgary, Alberta; shortly after to return to England to care for her grandmother, and in 1911, to settle at Winnipeg. She graduated from St. Johns Technical High School and the Central Normal School then taught Grade 1 at Faraday School (1923-1927).

On 28 September 1927, she married George D. Iliffe at Winnipeg and they had two sons. A founding member of St. Aidans Church, she sang in the choir for 20 years, worked for WA, the Red Cross, and St. Aidans Guild, with two years as President. She was Brown Owl in the Girl Guides pack at St. Aidans, and later, as District Commissioner, she ran two more packs at St. Andrews River Heights. She was made an Honorary Life Member of the Girl Guides of Canada in recognition of her work as Provincial International Commissioner and a Caddy Lake Camp Committee member.

She was Life Member of the Provincial Council of Women of Manitoba, and delegate to National Council; Honorary Life Member and Honorary President of the Womens Musical Club of Winnipeg; and a Life Member of the St. Agnes Guild, with 25 years volunteer service, including managing the Guild’s gift shop for the benefit of the Childrens Hospital Research Foundation. She was a founding member of the Souris and District Heritage Club in 1989, donating her handcrafted character dolls, and more, for the shop at The Plum Museum.

She died at Souris on 5 May 2003 and was buried in the St. John’s Cathedral Cemetery.

Sources:

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 17 May 2003.

“They will never be forgotten,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 December 2003, pages A6-7.

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 26 June 2022

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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