Eleri McClean Banyard, 94, passed away on April 18 after a brief illness, leaving behind a colourful life marked by warmth, devotion to God, and grace. Born Eleri Hook in Bridgeport, Connecticut, but raised for most of her childhood in Brockville, Ontario, she carried a lifelong appreciation for family, friendship, and her church community.

It was at Kemptville Agricultural College that Eleri met the tall, dark, and handsome Mike Banyard, an Englishman who was the love of her life. Together they built a full and busy life in Burlington, Ontario, where they raised their children, Deborah and Mark, and filled the years with the ordinary joys and steady commitments that shape a family’s strongest memories.

After their children were grown, Eleri and Mike enjoyed 26 satisfying years in Dorchester, where they were devoted members of St. Peter’s Church, and active in the community. Those years ended sadly by Mike’s death in 2007, a loss Eleri carried with quiet strength. She then moved to Sarnia to live with her sister, Natalie, and joined All Saints Church, now St. Michael and All Angels.

Eleri will be remembered for her kind and lively spirit, her devotion to God and His word, her enduring love for her family and friends, and the resilience that carried her through a long and meaningful life.

Eleri leaves behind two children, Deborah Hathaway (Michael) and Mark Banyard (Jane); five grandchildren, Lance Hathaway, Lucy Kreiman (Field), Oliver Banyard (Emily), Rachel Banyard, and Rebecca Banyard; and four great-grandchildren, Asher and Aiden Kreiman, and Elliot and Ruby Banyard; her sister Natalie Beer; nieces and nephews including Andi, David (Lynda), and Steve (Cathy Earle). She will be forever be missed by many friends, too, as to know her was to love her.

Some deaths may seem untimely; but in Eleri’s case she sensed her date with eternity was coming, and told us so almost a week before she got sick. How did she know? We failed to ask. Yet as we sorted through her papers, we discovered something remarkable: her final passport expired on the very day she breathed her last.

A Celebration of Life will take place on Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 11:00 am, at St. Michael & All Angels Anglican Church, 248 Vidal Street North, Sarnia, Ontario.

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