Valerie Dubsky (née Zenker)

Vali died peacefully on Monday morning,June 3rd,2019 in Montreal.

Our lovely Babi is survived by and will be very deeply missed by her son, John (Fiona), grandsons Jason (Melanie), Jonathan (Anna) and great granddaughter Alice.

Vali was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia in July of 1925 and little was it then know what a remarkable life she would lead.

Having survived WWII, she was able to escape post-war Czechoslovakia, carrying her infant son, John, to the relative safety of Austria. From there, their journey took them to France, then England and on to Canada in 1950. After a brief stay in Montreal, the family moved to New York and Mexico, finally returning to Canada in 1958, making Montreal their permanent home. A few years after their return, in what was a truly exceptional undertaking at that time, Vali established "VALI Designs", a female owned and run enterprise, which she led to become one of the first great Canadian fashion houses. Her creations were worn by the who's who of Canadian politics and society alike. She was the first to have Signature Boutiques in all of the major Canadian department stores as well as exporting to the likes of Saks 5th avenue in New York. Some of her evening gowns may still be seen McCord museum in Montreal.

She will be greatly missed by many, but her strong but gentle spirit will be
remembered.

A celebration of her life will be held at the Mount Royal Funeral Complex, 1297 Chemin de la Foret, Outremont, on Wednesday, July 3rd, 2019 between 2 to 4 PM.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Vali's name to WORLD VISION CANADA - 1 World Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, L5T 2Y4 or on line to : donate.worldvision.ca/products/memory