Natalie was born in London, England, and emigrated to Canada as a one-year-old with her parents and sister.  Natalie was the consummate student.  She attended Notre Dame Academy in Waterdown, and graduated from the University of Toronto (French and Spanish).  During her third and final undergraduate years, her studies took her to the University of Granada (Spain), during which time she fell in love with the language, culture, (wine) and people.  She returned to Canada and completed her Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi (French), and later completed her Masters Degree in Spanish Linguistics at the University of California (Santa Barbara).

Her teaching career began at the Peel Board of Education.  She was first introduced to Appleby College as a Tennis Coach in their Summer Sports programs.  In time, the School Administration offered Natalie an opportunity to help design Appleby's Spanish Language Program to be first offered to grade 9 students.  It was a pilot project and courses have been offered for the past 25 years.  Additionally, she lived on campus at Appleby for years, and was loved by both students and faculty.  She was always honoured and humbled by the praise she received from students and with any awards that she received.

Natalie not only loved to travel, but played sports and specifically excelled at tennis.  As a youth, she was a junior champion, winning numerous trophies and tournaments in Singles and in Doubles with her sister Debbie.  She and her father played in Mixed-Doubles tournaments at their local tennis club.  Her career as a collegiate athlete at U of T culminated with a National University Tennis Championship title for herself and for her team.  She continued to love tennis through coaching, where she achieved her Tennis Canada Coaching credentials, and spent years as Appleby's tennis coach for varsity and summer programs.  Other athletic interests of hers included Aerobics Instruction, Zumba Instruction, and Flamenco dancing, to name a few.  She was working on completing her Yoga Instructors certification.

Around 1994 and with Appleby's blessing, she started her own business and created a summer languages program for students called "Appleby in Spain".  She turned the world into her classroom and expanded students' minds in a uniquely experiential fashion.  Drawing on her own experiences as a Canadian studying abroad, she loved and nurtured the program and the unique opportunity that it offered Appleby students to broaden their learning and personal development.  She travelled numerous times with her students as a teacher, guardian and friend.

Natalie traveled extensively through Spain, Europe, the US, the Caribbean Islands and South America.  Her most cherished trip was to the Holy Land in Israel, where she walked in the footsteps of Jesus and His Disciples.  This experience profoundly changed her, allowing her to find strength during her late-life battles and to ultimately find peace before her death.

Natalie's greatest accomplishments was in the raising her beloved daughters, Talia and Noemi, and helping them to grow up into strong, independent, inquisitive, caring, talented, athletic and loving young women.  Throughout all of her late-life hardships and struggles, she took great care to provide a safe and nurturing environment for Talia and Noemi.  Her daughters were her life.

Natalie is grateful to her parents, sister and brothers, nieces, nephews and brother-in-law, for their support and love during her illness.  Thank you to her many friends and colleagues that met and checked-in with her.  Natalie would also like to thank the Appleby College Community of students, faculty, administration, families and alumni for their care, compassion, understanding and support.  A celebration of life will be held at Appleby College in the near future.

Thank you to all of the staff, supports, clinicians, doctors and volunteers at Ian Anderson House that made Natalie's final journey begin in peace and with dignity.