Obituary of Mrs. Muriel Cluett
MURIEL JEAN CLUETT (1922-2022)
Muriel Jean Cluett (née Lawrence) passed away peacefully on December 9 at the age of 100 with family at her bedside. Born in Lindsay, Ontario, on April 15, 1922, Muriel graduated from Lindsay Collegiate Institute, The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Victoria College at the University of Toronto, and Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. While a graduate student in economics at Queen’s, Muriel met and married Gordon Albert Ronald Cluett (1916-2001), with whom she had one child, Ronald George Andrew Cluett of Washington, DC. Very few women received graduate degrees in traditionally male academic fields in the early 1950s, but this did not deter Muriel from successfully defending her master’s thesis on West Indies trade.
Muriel’s intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness were reflected in her lifelong love of books and reading. ‘Auntie Meemo’ loved to share her latest recommendations with her nine nieces and nephews, including goddaughter Patricia Lawrence Chrétien and godson George Lawrence, as well as with her nieces’ and nephews’ many children and grandchildren. Muriel loved nothing more than a huge family party, so those discussions often took place at holiday and other celebrations at her late brother John Lawrence’s ranch in Cameron, Ontario. Muriel was a welcome guest for many reasons, not the least of which was her world-class fudge, which she generously made for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Muriel was intellectually active her entire life, and derived great satisfaction from her participation in the CFUW Scarborough club, a chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Women. Over her decades of involvement with the club, Muriel held many service roles, led and participated in innumerable book discussion groups, attended every party she could, and enthusiastically lent a hand wherever it was needed. She even traveled to a worldwide gathering in Scotland to experience the organization at an international level. As exciting as that trip was, her favorite trip was her week in Paris with Ronald in 2012 to celebrate her 90th birthday, where she stayed near the Sorbonne and soaked up the literary and cultural history like an enthusiastic undergraduate.
Muriel was a unicorn – a humble intellectual. She enjoyed chicken nuggets and fries, and the company of pet guinea pigs, as much as she did an anthology of feminist literature. She listened to everyone, never judged anyone, and never said an unkind word for an entire century. She will be remembered and missed by everyone whose life she touched.
The visitation for Muriel will be held at Ogden’s Funeral Home on Tuesday December 13 from 4pm to 7pm. Muriel’s funeral will be announced at a later date.
