Monica Lewis’ industriousness and respect for others endeared her to many in Toronto’s Little Jamaica community — a neighbourhood the trailblazing entrepreneur helped build through her business, Monica’s Beauty Salon and Cosmetic Supplies, on Eglinton Avenue West, near Oakwood Avenue in Canada.

The beloved matriarch passed away in her sleep on May 20. Her son, Junior Lewis, says that, in their last conversation, she told him that she had spoken to God when he was concerned about her feeling unwell.

Born in Brown’s Hall, St Catherine, Jamaica, Lewis, as a young woman, was given a rare opportunity — one afforded to only a single member of her family — to leave home for England in search of a better life.