hosted an annual soirée for Eaton's managers and their wives. She was vice-president of the Canadian Red Cross, Master of the Toronto Hunt Club and was involved with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, the Art Gallery of Toronto and the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene. In 1950, in recognition of her charity work, Lady Eaton was made a Dame of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. In the 1940s and 1950s, a false rumour persisted that Lady Eaton was the inventor of red velvet cake which was sold in the store's bakery. At the height of the store's success, Lady Eaton was popularly known as "Mrs. Canada". Interested in the occult, Lady Eaton had a séance room built in the turret of Eaton Hall. The ceiling of this circular room is painted with the zodiac. As her health failed, Lady Eaton moved from Eaton Hall to her secondary residence on Old Forest Hill Road in Toronto's Forest Hill neighbourhood. She died at home on July 9, 1970, at the age of 90. Her funeral was held on July 15 at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church. She was interred in the Eaton Mausoleum at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Legacy Lady Eaton's legacy is still felt to this day, particularly in her hometown of Omemee and surrounding area. Lady Eaton Elementary School in the village and Lady Eaton College at Trent University in nearby Peterborough are named in her honour. The Eatons donated Coronation Hall, Omemee's municipal building, in 1911, and a manse and pipe organ to Trinity United Church. The family proposed that the village change its name to Eatonville, but the offer was refused. After her death, Eaton Hall became the King Campus of Seneca College. The house became home to the college's administrative offices and later its Management Development Centre until 1991. The college continues to make use of the grounds while the house is now a hotel and conference centre. In 1994, Royal Doulton produced a figurine in Lady Eaton's image to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Eaton's. Limited to a production of 2,500, each figurine was marked with its production sequence. References External links John Craig Eaton and Flora McCrea Eaton fonds, Archives of Ontario 1879 births 1970 deaths Flora Eaton People from Kawartha Lakes Canadian nurses Canadian socialites Canadian philanthropists Canadian monarchists Canadian people of Irish descent Members of