TORONTO -- A public funeral service will be held for Diane Ford, the matriarch of the Ford family, who passed away over the weekend
Diane Ford, the mother of Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the late, former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, died in Etobicoke Sunday night after a struggle with cancer. She was 85 years old.
The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party confirmed that the funeral service will be held at the Toronto Congress Centre on Jan. 11 at 10 a.m. followed by a private burial.
A visitation will be held at the Newediuk Funeral Home on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10.
“The Premier and his family are extremely grateful for the outpouring of support from all of you over the last little while,” the PC party statement said. “Everyone is welcome to attend.”
A statement provided by the Ford family praised Diane Ford’s charitable contributions and described her as “the rock for her family and especially her 10 grandchildren.”
Diane Ford helped run Deco Labels and Tags with her late husband Doug Ford Sr. before he entered provincial politics as a Member of Provincial Parliament in 1995.
When her sons decided to enter politics, she was there standing by their side, often offering up her Etobicoke home as a gathering place for campaign events and press conferences.
Diane Ford is survived by her three children and 10 grandchildren.
