Athlete, community activist.
Born at Edinburgh, Scotland on 25 January 1921, daughter of Marion and Thomas Gordon, she came to Canada as an infant.
She won a national speed swimming championship at the age of 14 and continued to compete in speed swimming and synchronized swimming for several decades. She held Canadian and world records in swimming. She later served as a coach, official, and administrator, was founding President of the Manitoba section of the Canadian Amateur Synchronized Swimming Association, worked with the Manitoba Sports Federation, and helped to organize the Canadian Aquatic Hall of Fame. In 1985, she was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.
On 10 July 1943, she married Donald George Fraser Kerr (1919-2011) at Knox United Church. They subsequently had three daughters and three sons.
She died at Winnipeg on 21 March 2014.
Marriage registration [Catherine Ross Gordon, Donald George Fraser Kerr], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Catherine Ross Gordon becomes bridge of Donald Kerr,” Winnipeg Tribune, 10 July 1943, page 32.
Obituary [Donald George Fraser Kerr], Winnipeg Free Press, 4 April 2011.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 19 April 2014, page B15.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 25 March 2026
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