Elizabeth Ann Gallie, beloved partner and soulmate to Dougal Reid McCreath, passed away on January 22, 2014. Born September 9, 1949, in Toronto, Ann grew up in the mining town of Lynn Lake in northern Manitoba, where she was raised by Doc and Mary Gallie, her sisters, and her dog Bisk, and where her deep and abiding love of all of nature first developed.
After moving to Toronto at age 9, and attending Bishop Strachan School, Ann completed her BSc in biology from Queen’s University and her PhD in Remote Sensing from UBC. Her knowledge and love of the natural world lead to her careers in consulting and then in teaching as Professor and Director of Environmental Earth Sciences at Laurentian University, Sudbury.
Ann’s scientific curiosity and fascination with the world were matched by the soul and heart of an artist and lover, all projected outwards by the most beautiful smile in the universe. Ann was a true naturalist – birds, insects, plants, stars, mountains, lakes, rivers and rocks – and her love of the world has been instilled in generations of students, friends and family, and captured in her art and poetry. She placed profound value in her many friendships, and was herself a true and good friend. Ann was mentor to many, in life, courage and calmness. Her beauty lives on in all who knew her.
Ann is survived by her husband Dougal, sisters Joan McDonald and Brenda Gallie, nephews David, Christopher and Gordon, niece Franny, and grandnieces Mikka, Kaia, and Ayesha Ann, and by her deeply loved stepfamily, James, Dawn, Ian, and grandkids Justin and Jordan.