Tress Caverly, 100, lived a “full life”

Theresa “Tress” Caverly (nee Johnston) died at her Aylmer area home at age 100 on Tuesday, June 9 after what one of her best friends said was a “full life” for a “very unique lady.”

Her daughter Brenda Smith, who now runs the Pinecroft Green Frog Tea Room that her mother established, delivered the eulogy at the funeral held on Friday, June 12 at H.A. Kebbel Funeral Home.

A celebration of Mrs. Caverly’s life followed at Pinecroft.

Mrs. Caverly was the founder and hostess of the Green Frog Tea Room at Pinecroft on Rogers Road located southwest of Aylmer from 1978 until just five years ago when she decided to take a break at age 95.

In the eulogy, Mrs. Smith said her mother finished secretarial school and at the age of 16 she began to look for a job to help support her family that had moved to Toronto.

“In 1930 she landed a job in Simpson’s Department Store mail order room where she worked her way up to secretary to the president which she held until she retired to get married in 1948,” Mrs. Smith said.

Mrs. Caverly was a pitcher with the 1935 Canadian Women’s Baseball team and she also played professionally for another team during the Second Great War when many men were away serving with the armed forces.

Marg White, a close friend of Mrs. Caverly’s for the past over 30 years, remembered “Tress” as always being “a lady.”

“She was very unique and a one of a kind lady,” Mrs. White continued. “She always expressed her opinion and never minced words. She was a wonderful person and she had a full life.”