: timing is everything ... and then some :

... anyone reading this from Ontario way will appreciate this article. I especially liked the line later on which I have bolded/italicized for you.

Sorry, I can't find a photo of Bess, but she reminded me of Rhoda Morgenstern's mother Ida of Mary Tyler Moore fame, so here's a glimpse of that 4'11" fiery red-headed dynamo.

'Street smarts' and people savvy helped her shape Toronto politics

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Bess Godfrey, the mother of Paul Godfrey, president and chief executive of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team, died on May 13. She was 93.

The Toronto-born woman had only a Grade 8 education. But her street smarts and her way with people would make her a sought-after advisor to local politicians.

She became interested in politics when working as an enumerator, going door-to-door to register people to vote. Later, her reputation as a successful political campaign manager attracted various fledgling politicians, including former Toronto mayor Mel Lastman.

When she was asked to run as a councillor for North York in 1964, she instead promoted her then 25-year-old son, Paul, and coached him to victory.

"She had unbelievable street smarts," Paul Godfrey said. "Having her at my side, no one dared run against me."

The 4-foot-11 woman with fiery red hair was bold and ambitious.

"She may have been small, but she was a giant in the field of politics," Godfrey said. "She had the trust and confidence of premiers, Cabinet ministers and local politicians of all political stripes." She would caution politicians:

"It's better to leave office two years too early than two minutes too late."

After managing campaigns, she served as deputy returning officer in provincial and federal elections for 15 years.

Godfrey and her late husband, Philip, raised their two sons, Paul and Don, in Kensington Market, one of Toronto's oldest neighbourhoods. Don Godfrey is a provincial court judge.

"She strongly believed that you had to live in a happy home to have a happy life. She had a very strong belief in Judaism and Jewish heritage," Paul Godfrey said.

Bess Godfrey suffered from Alzheimer's disease for 13 years prior to her death.

"Although not well-educated, she was very wise and street smart. She taught all of us the importance of treating people fairly. ... She could work the room and network better than any politician I know, and she never said a bad word about anyone."