Hilary Weston, an Irish-Canadian business leader, philanthropist and former lieutenant-governor of Ontario know for her advocacy for women, youth, volunteerism and Canadian literature has died. She was 83.
Her family announced her death Sunday, remembering her as a “beloved wife, proud mother, cherished sister, adoring grandmother and loyal friend.”
“Our mother lived with unwavering devotion to her family and a belief in the power and importance of community and service,” said her son, Galen Weston Jr., who is the chairman and former president of Loblaw Companies Ltd.
Known for their connection to the Loblaw grocery store chain, the Westons are one of Canada’s wealthiest families.
Admired for her elegance, generosity and lifelong commitment to public service, Weston began her career as a fashion model to help support her family moving into the business world before rising to senior leadership roles, including deputy chair of Holt Renfrew, and later serving as Ontario’s 26th Lieutenant-Governor from 1997 to 2002. Only the second woman to hold the role, she championed causes that improved the lives of women, young people and marginalized communities.
Her daughter, Alannah Weston Cochrane, said her mother loved a challenge and brought creativity and style to everything she touched.
“But, it was her vision, coupled with her enormous capacity for hard work, that made her a great female leader,” she said.
In 2003, Weston was appointed to the Order of Canada for outstanding achievement, dedication to community and service. At the time, she was the second woman to receive the award.
Friend and business executive, Nancy Lockhart, who knew Weston for more than 30 years, called her “one of the most remarkable women I’ve ever known — smart, accomplished, beautiful, kind, generous.”
She recalled Weston’s “true partnership” with her late husband, Galen Weston, and her family despite extraordinary success.
“She left school to support her brothers so they could go on to school,” Lockhart said. “And yet she rose to the highest level of society and business in several countries. That just speaks to her innate brainpower.”
Weston was also a passionate supporter of Canadian writing, particularly nonfiction.
Author Charlie Foran, who first met Weston as the inaugural winner of the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction in 2011, described her as a “true patron of Canadian writing” who worked tirelessly to expand the prize and create the Weston International Award.
The two $75,000 prizes — one for a Canadian author and one for an international writer — were, Foran said, “bold and visionary” in a literary culture that often looked inward.
“Hilary was all in,” Foran said, adding that she was always engaged and supportive, often inviting authors to her home for private lunches to chat with them about their work and lives.
Lockhart remembered Weston as a hands-on lieutenant-governor who thrived on connecting with people across the province.
“She worked so hard at the job. It’s a very punishing travel and event schedule. She never complained,” Lockhart said. “She loved it. She loved meeting people in every community and talking about what they were achieving.”
Her philanthropic work spanned the arts, education, health care and refugee causes. Through the Hilary and Galen Weston Foundation, she helped commit nearly $150 million to charities in Canada, Ireland and the U.K.
“She was infinitely generous,” Lockhart said, “She never judged people based on what they had, only based on who they were. She had friends from all walks of life, people who worked with her and for her loved her and stayed with her for decades. That’s a measure of someone who treats people well.”
Known for her refined, elegant style, Weston was also an avid gardener, reader and gracious host. She loved to entertain and brought the same attention to detail to her social gatherings as she did to her public work, Lockhart added.
She was married to Galen for 55 years until his death in 2021. Together, they raised two children, Galen Jr. and Alannah, whom Lockhart described as “hard working, responsible, successful and totally unspoiled — no small feat given their circumstances.”
“Everything she did, she did beautifully,” she said.
With files from The Canadian Press
