Born in Richmond Hill in 1922, Grace Ough of Barrie passed away peacefully at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in May 2023, at the age of 100.
Grace was pre-deceased by her husband, John. Loving mother of Janet Kidon and her husband Ray of Minden; John R. Ough and his wife Julie of Kimberley, BC; James Ough and his wife Christine, of Barrie; and Jeff Ough and his partner Kaylyn, of Midhurst. Proud grandmother of Jennifer, Melanie, Jeremy, Rebecca, Spencer and Riley; and loving great grandmother of Jordan, Lena, Joel, Jacob and Lucas.
When John and Grace moved in Barrie in the 1950s, Grace joined the Barrie Country Club. She immediately took an active role in golf and at the club, and her presence on the greens was one to watch. In 1950, she won the Bronze Division spoon in Canadian Ladies Golf Union matches and took the prize for Handicap Reduction as well as the Captains Prize. The following year, she won the Rogers Cup. In 1956, she won her first Barrie Country Club Championship. It was the start of a dominating career, claiming the A. A. Smith Memorial Trophy every year through 1967 with the exception of 1962. Grace won the Barrie Country Club championships 12 times.
In addition to her prowess on the golf course, Grace was an accomplished curler, and also played tennis and badminton. Grace loved sports and the social part of the game, and played golf and bridge well into her 90s.
Both John and Grace Ough were entrepreneurs in the city. They ran Ough's Crest Hardware Store in downtown Barrie, founded OFS Fire Prevention in Barrie, and both did stints in real estate.
In 2023, Grace was recognized with the Barrie Sports Hall of Fame's Local Lifetime Achievement Award.
One of Grace's goals in her final years was to make it to at least the age of 100, as her mother, Anna Dewsbury, passed at age 108. Grace celebrated this milestone proudly in December 2022; marking 100 years young with friends and family with a party at the Waterford Retirement Home.
Grace was truly a trailblazer, an inspiration, and a woman ahead of her time--juggling a busy family, career, sports commitments, and a social life. However, she always made time for the important things in life: baby-sitting her grandchildren or visiting with great grandchildren; having a cup of tea while doing a crossword; or enjoying a meal with friends at the Country Club.
A private family celebration of Grace's life will be held at Barrie Union Cemetery on May 11, 2024.
