Stories

Margaret Eleanor Chetter (Tschetter) Fund

When friends and family recall Margaret Chetter, they describe a kind, generous , loyal and assertive person.

Born Margaret Leitch in Burlington, she was educated at Branksome Hall in Toronto and served as executive secretary of the Downtown Hamilton Rotary Club for 12 years. She was in her forties, when, making her way through a supermarket checkout line, she met Andrew Chetter, a widower who she married in 1959. Andrew’s job as sales agent for a jewelry company allowed the couple to travel extensively, with regular trips to the Caribbean and South Africa.

After Andrew died, Mrs. Chetter remained in her Burlington home with the help of homemaker, Valerie White. “Margaret became a mother to me and befriended my whole family. She was extremely generous. One Christmas, my husband was on strike and my son had just announced he was getting married. She insisted on buying dresses for me and my daughter to wear to the wedding. That’s just the way she was. ” Mrs. White recalled. A nephew, Ken Waters, remembers his aunt as a very private person, financially and politically astute, with eclectic interests – antiques, theatre, concerts, current events.

Always wanting to help others. Margaret Chetter left the Foundation the residue of her estate.

Excerpt from 1997-1998 Annual Report