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Through Grace’s Eyes

Through Grace’s Eyes

A window into the Annex at the start of the 20th century

By Tom G. Kernaghan

Five-year-old Grace Cooey sat on the running board of the Model T Ford, dazed and blinking, her bright green eyes regaining focus on the intersection of Bathurst and Bloor streets, tresses of her sandy-brown hair poking out from under her hat. Having slipped away from her mother, she’d been hit by the Ford, thrown clean over its hood, had bumped the back of the car on her way down before finally landing on the road. Miraculously, the snow, along with Grace’s winter gear, had kept her from harm. Her mother, Susannah, of the Shuter family, was at her side. Her father, Herbert William Cooey, founder of H.W. Cooey Machine & Arms, creator of the Cooey .22 calibre rifle, was busy working at his shop up at Howland and Bridgman avenues.

Grace’s obstacles were women’s obstacles

Grace’s obstacles were women’s obstacles

Opportunities denied because of her gender

By Tom G. Kernaghan

Grace usually waited until bedtime to cry; often she would cry herself to sleep. One time, however, her young daughter Alison saw her break down in the kitchen. It was 1953 and Grace’s attempt to reunite with her estranged husband, George, had failed. The usually observant eyes didn’t see that her girl, then nine, was peering through the crack in the door, watching the tears Grace believed were being shed in absolute solitude. One of the great contradictions of her life was that while she often felt alone in her battle against obstacles, she was in fact always around people.

Grace moves from the Annex, but her daughter returns

Grace moves from the Annex, but her daughter returns

The Bohemian Embassy and Yorkville’s coffee houses big draws

By Tom G. Kernaghan

Grace was smiling on March 29, 1944, when she and George took a six-month-old girl into their home. The child joined David, a 9-year-old boy they had adopted four years earlier. Grace had found her away around the tubular pregnancy. Their little girl, whom they named Alison, settled in easily and the young family was very happy—in the beginning. George started up a sporting goods store, Grace kept house, David kept busy, and Alison, sensitive and intuitive, quickly saw the strength and friendship in her relationship with her mother, and the adoration of her father.

A daughter’s eyes, a mother’s ears

A daughter’s eyes, a mother’s ears

Grace Cooey had a profound bond with her daughter

By Tom G. Kernaghan

In the same month Grace’s cousin wrote the above words, John Scopes was found guilty of teaching the theory of evolution in Dayton, Tennessee. Grace supported true progress, especially in education, and admired Scopes for his fortitude.

Prepared for Life

Prepared for Life

Herbert Cooey insisted his children attend Central Tech

By Tom G. Kernaghan

Herbert Cooey insisted his children attend Central Technical School, in his opinion the best school in the city. Though their Bathurst Street home was considered outside the school’s district, the three Cooey kids—Grace, Donald, and Hubert—raced off to CTS, to become their father’s children—technically inclined and prepared for life.

Mother embodied Victorian values

Mother embodied Victorian values

Daughter told stories through gin and cigarettes

By Tom G. Kernaghan

Susannah Shuter was born on June 29, 1881, one week ahead of Herbert Cooey, her future husband. For all Herbert’s laudable determination, this is one race that was out of his hands, as it was out of Susannah’s. But in life, this lovely woman, with a piercing stare, made it a point to control as much in her immediate world as possible, particularly her daughter Grace.

Grace always targeted success

Grace always targeted success

Father created trusty .22 “Cooey” rifle

By Tom G. Kernaghan

Grace Cooey learned to shoot a rifle at age 11, in 1921. She had a great teacher—her father.

In previous columns, I have talked about Herbert Cooey’s successful gun and machining business at Howland and Bridgman avenues. However, a closer look at the example set by Herbert will shed even more light on the only daughter of this remarkable Annex man.

A beneficiary of Cooey values

A beneficiary of Cooey values
Grace appreciated a bit of well-timed mischief

By Tom G. Kernaghan

“If only my lower legs were just an inch or two longer,” Grace used to say.

It was never quite clear to me if this quip was really a comment on herself as a woman, or if she simply meant that a couple more inches of leg bone would’ve come in handy in athletics. And Grace was passionate about sports—basketball, baseball, volleyball, badminton, hockey, swimming, golf, and, according to the June 1927 Central Technical School (CTS) Vulcan, riding camels.