Obituary of Hildy Lepine

Hildred Amanda Lepine (Woodman) passed away on December 5th, 2022 in London, ON, at the age of 92.

Hildy was born in 1930 to Lawrence Woodman and Amy Inez Harrison in New Richmond, QC. The eldest of three surviving children, she shared fond memories of roaming the countryside of their small family village with her many cousins, building precarious rafts out of tree branches and string, launching them on the fast running creek, and riding in a horse drawn wooden bus to school each day.

The Woodman family moved to Ontario in the 1940's. Hildy graduated from Ontario Business College, Bellville and went on to graduate from Eastern Pentecostal Bible College where she met Arthur Henry Voth, her first husband.

A loving wife and mother, Hildy married Art in 1956 and they had five children. Hildy was a partner to Art, in his Ministry; playing piano and organ, running the Sunday School, and filling in by leading services if Art was unwell. She returned to the business world once her youngest child was in school full time.

She worked as an administrator including 10 years service at Canada Pension Plan, Hamilton and 5 years with United Technologies, St. Thomas. Hildy was also a certified stretch sewing instructor and taught at Mohawk College for a number of years.

She married Jean Marc Lepine in 1984. Hildy and Marc made their home in St. Thomas, ON.

Hildy was an accomplished musician, artist, writer and poet. Her primary focus in retirement was the genealogy of the Woodman, Harrison and Cochrane families. She spent countless hours searching for the stories of the rogues and rascals in her family tree. She reveled in the hunt for the details of who was born to whom, when, where and how they lived their lives. She loved writing letters, reaching out to strangers, discovering unknown family members, and making new friends in order to create a record to pass on to her children. She and Marc drove across Canada visiting as many of her family members as possible, all the while, being a loving Nana to the grand and great grandchildren who lived nearby.

Hildy is survived by her children: April Elizabeth Voth, Kerry Jane Voth, Valerie Diane Voth, Timothy Kean Voth and John David Voth (Nicole). Grandchildren: Paul Voth (Tammy), Karly Schaefer (Chris), Amanda Voth, Myrna Voth, Katherine and Luke Voth. Great grandchildren: Mikayla Burns (Logan) and Brody Voth, Quinn and Piper Schaefer, Jayden and Elena Voth, and many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by Jean Marc Lepine, and her parents Laurence and Amy Inez Woodman, brother Howard Woodman, and sister Dorothy McPherson (David).

Visitation will be held at the Shawn Jackson Funeral Home, 31 Elgin Street, St. Thomas (519-631-0570) on Thursday, May 25, 2023 from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.  The memorial service will follow the visitation in the chapel at 11:00 a.m.  Interment in Elmdale Memorial Park Cemetery.  If desired, donations to Parkinson's Society of Southwestern Ontario or to London Symphonia would be appreciated.  Personal condolences to the family can be made at www.sjfh.ca