Professor Emerita Frances Fitzgerald Beer passed away peacefully at the age of 81 on April 7 with family by her side.
Beer will be remembered by children Jessica Runge (Arthur Cormack) and Denis McKim (Sarah Isbister), grandchildren Zachary and Zoë Cormack, and sister Katherine. She is predeceased by spouse David McKim, brother William, and parents Samuel and Roberta. Beer will be missed by nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
A devoted and accomplished teacher and scholar, Beer taught for many years at York University with Atkinson College (now the Faculty of Liberal Arts and & Professional Studies) and made important contributions to her fields of expertise: medieval literature, 19th century women writers, and children’s literature; as well as to the Journal of Canadian Woman Studies/cf and Inanna Publications. Beer was the author of several academic and literary works. She was a lifelong lover of animals and admired for being generous, determined and kind as well as funny, clever, modest, gentle, loving and loyal.
A celebration of her life will be held at Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church on Saturday, April 16 at 10:30 a.m. A private burial will follow at Toronto Necropolis. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Canadian Wildlife Federation or Inanna Publications.