Lilias Massey

Background The daughter of businessman and politician T. Franklin Ahearn, She worked as an ambulance driver for the Red Cross during World War II before marrying Lionel Massey in 1946. a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot who died in combat in 1941.

The Masseys resided in Saskatoon, Toronto and Canton, and briefly in London, England, until Vincent Massey was appointed as Governor General in 1952. Lionel Massey simultaneously served as Secretary to the Governor General of Canada.

Châtelaine As châtelaine, Massey's duties included hosting visiting dignitaries at Rideau Hall, During her term as châtelaine, Lionel and Lilias Massey maintained their primary residence at Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall, and later hosted a state visit to Ottawa by Dwight Eisenhower. In 1954, the Masseys in turn undertook a state visit to Washington, D.C., and later hosted Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother at Rideau Hall. In 1955, they hosted Mary, Princess Royal at Rideau Hall.

In 1956, she accompanied Vincent Massey on a tour of the Canadian Arctic, during which she became the first woman ever to fly over the North Pole. Upon the end of the tour, she briefly fell ill and was taken to hospital in The Pas, Manitoba. As of that trip, she had accompanied Vincent Massey on all but two of his 86 official trips across Canada.

In 1957, she was the official presenter of the Lady Tweedsmuir Cup, a women's curling championship trophy named for Susan Buchan, Baroness Tweedsmuir, to the winning Royal Montreal Curling Club.

Other dignitaries she hosted at Rideau Hall included Jawaharlal Nehru, Queen Juliana and Haile Selassie.

Later life After Vincent Massey stepped down as Governor General, Lionel and Lilias returned to Batterwood House. Following Lionel's death in 1965, Lilias returned to Ottawa, where she lived until her death in 1997.