Skater, community activist.
Born at Montreal, Quebec in 1921 to Reginald and Gertrude Gaunt, she developed a lifelong passion for outdoor sports as a child at Camps Menote on the Richelieu River and Ouareau in the Laurentian Mountains. Her father taught her to play tennis on the YMCA courts in Westmount. She also trained as a figure skater at the Montreal Winter Club, achieving a distinguished record in amateur competition.
She met fellow skater Dwight Parkinson at the Montreal Winter Club while he was studying for his medical degree at McGill University. They were married in 1942 in the chapel of McGill and went on to have four children. The couple lived in the United States from 1946 to 1949 during his term as a Fellow in Neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic. After that, they moved to Winnipeg, where he set up his practice in 1950. She continued her athletic interests throughout her life, competing in national figure skating competitions, and later serving as a judge in Canadian and World Championships. She continued skiing well into her 70s, took up golf, and continued to play tennis.
Volunteer activities were a vital element in her life and she was known for her energy, talent, good humour, and generosity throughout. She delivered Meals on Wheels, sat on the board of the Middlechurch Home, taught at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, chaired the volunteers committee for the 1967 Pan Am Games, and served as President of the Children’s Home of Winnipeg as well as the St. Charles Country Club Ladies Section. She also invited seniors in her neighbourhood over for tea and visited shut-ins. Other personal interests were gardening; her membership at St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church; supporting the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Theatre Centre, and the Manitoba Opera Association; and taking an active part in her children’s camp and school activities. She was an ardent fan of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Canadiens.
She died at Winnipeg on 12 September 2005.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 14 September 2005.
Obituary [Dwight and Elizabeth Parkinson], Montreal Gazette, 15 October 2005.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 3 August 2022
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.
Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:
Custom SearchBrowse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | ZBrowse deaths occurring in:
1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.caCriteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements
Help us keep
history alive!
