Weaving Her Magic

A self-proclaimed “museum person,” Flavia Redelmeier was a steadfast supporter of the Royal Ontario Museum for most of the Museum’s history.

As a young girl in the 1930s and 1940s, an interest in bird watching and the natural world led Flavia and her brother to join the Junior Field Naturalists, a group of fledgling conservation enthusiasts who would meet at the Royal Ontario Museum on weekends. She found ROM to be a welcoming place, full of wonder and possibilities.

“I didn’t know it at the time,” said Flavia, “But this was the beginning of a lifelong relationship with the Museum.”

ROM remained a presence throughout her childhood and into adulthood. She first worked as a curatorial assistant while completing her master’s degree at the University of Toronto.

Foreseeing how she could make a difference enlisting help and raising funds for the institution she cherished, Flavia joined the Department of Museum Volunteers (DMV). She trained to become a docent and particularly enjoyed guiding visitors on tours of her area of special interest – the textile collection.

Textiles were long a personal passion of Flavia’s (she kept a large loom in her home) and among her proudest accomplishments as a ROM supporter and volunteer was raising funds for a textile storage facility. During the Renaissance ROM campaign in 2007, she and her husband Ernest made a leadership gift in support of her passion for textiles and weaving. In recognition of this gift, the Museum proudly named the Flavia Redelmeier Weaving Exhibit in her honour. 

Through this generous bequest to strengthen the textile collection and by making further provisions in her will, Flavia joined the Currelly Legacy Society, an inspiring group of donors who are securing the future of ROM through gifts of all types and sizes. Members enjoy exclusive activities, access to lifelong learning opportunities, and much more.

Flavia served as President of the DMV, Chair of the Collections Committee, an Honorary Trustee, and a member of ROM’s board of directors, among countless other contributions to the Museum. In 2013, in appreciation of her extraordinary dedication and meritorious service to ROM, Flavia was recognized with the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honour the Museum can bestow on a volunteer. Flavia passed away in 2024 and is greatly missed by the ROM community.

“No matter what interests you, there is something for everyone here,” said Flavia. “ROM has been the love of my life.”

Planned financial gifts are a tangible way to further the collections you care about at ROM. To learn more, contact Janice Correa at jcorrea@rom.on.ca.