Stephanie WAIT Little’s favourite song at Branksome was like her: lively, infectious and caring. That was “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers, and in the case of Steph, an ’88 grad who died at age 52 in 2022, the ideas of being a friend and helping carry on fit perfectly. Recalls Rachel FOX’88: “Steph united all of us, regardless of our insecurities as young girls, empowering us as we matured to be the very best that we could be. She encouraged us to lean on her, as she understood us and would somehow manage to carry our problems away every time.”
Indeed, whenever you needed a hand, all you needed to do was call on Steph. Though, since Branksome had so many Stephanies at the time, you’d have to holler “StephWait!” —no break between first and last names—to ensure you got the right one.
Head Prefect Stephanie GARROW’88 remembers calling on fellow Prefect Steph a lot. “She was the head of Beta Kappa, the social club in charge of organizing school dances like The Rout and The Formal. The club made sure posters were made, people had tickets and there was lots of hype beforehand, like skits in prayers/Assembly. This was the perfect role for Steph. She was very social and inclusive, wanting everyone to feel happy and enjoy themselves.”
Besides being fun and approachable, Steph was highly organized—foretelling the combined enthusiasm and problem-solving efficiency she brought to later roles in the MBA program at Western University’s then Richard Ivey School of Business, as mom to Matthew and twins James and Gregory, and as project manager at Travelers Canada. Stephanie Garrow believes “Steph took on other activities through the Beta Kappa Club, I’m sure because she could execute them like no one else! No job was beneath her: decorations, posters, cleanup. Steph was the consummate team player.”
No surprise then that Steph went on to become a Class Reunion Rep. Paying tribute to her at Branksome’s June 2023 Reunion, Brigitte KOPAS’88 said: “Stephanie was the Class of ’88 memory bank. She never forgot any details—what we did when, who dated who, the colour of someone’s Formal dress, interschool competitions scores, etc. Steph continued to embody Branksome’s current values of sense of community, inclusiveness, connections. She was always leading-edge Branksome!”
Besides her alma mater, Steph’s passions included tennis, choir, power-walking, hiking with husband Chris, skiing, happily munching and sharing méli-mélo snacks, travelling, mixing gourmet margaritas—and you wouldn’t even think about trying to beat her at Pac-Man.
Pauline WAIT Ferguson’89 remembers the outpouring of love on her sister’s passing. “Steph’s Branksome friends were the first ones at our family’s doorsteps, arranging her celebration of life and extending such love and kindness to our whole family when we were going through the most painful time. What a gift and silver lining her Branksome friends have been.” Pauline says she, her sister Andrea WAIT’85, parents John and Tessie Wait, and Chris and the boys will be “forever grateful for that.”
No memorial for Steph would be complete without mentioning her love for the colour pink. Original as always, Steph wore a pink wedding dress at her and Chris’s 2003 Cape Breton marriage—and made the cover of the Toronto Star fashion section.
Pauline, a.k.a. Pline, will always remember Steph at Branksome “in the hallways, at Assembly, at Clan gatherings—and how it allowed her and me to forge a stronger bond and an amazing overlap with our friends.”
Put another way, to know Steph Wait was definitely to be in the pink.
