Obituary of Emily McIntosh Young)

Emily McIntosh (nee Young) February 13th, 1921 - August 21st, 2020Emily was born in Glasgow Scotland in 1921, one of ten surviving children of William and Margaret Young. Emily died peacefully at the age of 99 at True Davidson Acres with her daughter Margaret at her side.She was predeceased by her beloved husband Alex and her 9 siblings, William, Mary, Jean, Peter, John, James, Margaret, Alex and Nancy.She is survived by daughter Margaret, grandchildren Thomas and Krista (and partner Frog) and her wonderful great grandchildren Teyo and Toshi. Also by many nieces and nephews and their children from both sides of the family in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.S., Scotland and England, whom she made sure she connected with during her travels over the years, and of course her dear friends and relatives who kept in touch to the endImmigrating in 1948 to Canada with Alex and daughter Margaret, they settled in Toronto and began the tough journey of finding stable employment, housing, childcare, friends and support in a postwar environment of change, strikes, unemployment, shortage of money and of course homesickness. A constant influx of new Scottish immigrants as well as new Canadian friends however filled out a very rich social life filled with music and stories and help through tough times.Eventually however, the stable jobs came more easily for Alex as a skilled worker. But over the years Emily moved from domestic and factory work, to working in childcare and then her favourite job as constituency assistant to Neil Young during his tenure as NDP MP for Beaches Woodbine. She loved making a difference for people and helping them cut through the red tape that kept them from getting what they needed, from unemployment insurance to housing to immigration help. She was tenacious about it, helping hundreds get the benefits they were entitled to and making the Civil Service work!From her childhood on the Red Clyde, Emily was a socialist and one of her main goals to the end was electing an NDP government. She never wavered in her beliefs and efforts, working tirelessly in elections as long as she was able but even in her last years, she still wanted to know in detail what was happening both here and the U.S. She remained passionately committed to social justice and never forgot where she came from.Emily loved games, whether it was bowling, bingo, darts or a good old game of cards. Just a few months ago she was still trouncing her opponents at 3 handed euchre!She was also an avid Blue Jays fan and when she could no longer get to the games she followed them on television.Aside from her daughter Margaret for whom she was an invaluable support through thick and thin, there were no bigger fans of Emily than her two grandchildren, Krista and Thomas. She helped raise them and keep them safe and engaged in life showing them what it was to be an activist, a good citizen and friend and fierce advocate for social justice and made sure through her many stories that they also knew where they came from.Thank you for all the best wishes and stories of Emily. Special thanks to the staff at True Davidson Acres, the nursing and other staff that kept her safe through a pandemic, the recreation staff and volunteers who made life fun (Bingo particularly) and made sure there was access to chocolate, and to everyone else who contributed to the effective and compassionate running of the home.As well as being an ardent NDP supporter and contributor, Emily benefited greatly from the Toronto Public Library Foundation and their Home Library Service, especially their home delivered audiobooks as her sight failed.If you wish Donations can be made at:https://tplfoundation.ca/tribute/A virtual memorial will be held for Emily on Thursday September 17th at 5:00 pm Toronto and Eastern U.S. time. It can also be joined at the following times elsewhere. Vancouver - Thursday, September 17th 2:00 pmScotland , England -Thursday, September 17th, 10:00 pmAustralia - Friday, September 18th, 7:00 amNew Zealand - Friday, September 18th, 9:00 amIf you wish and are able to participate, please email: margaretmcintosh@rogers.com and a link will be sent to you by email the week before the celebration. The guestbook on this site is available for your comments and memories.