Eve Zaremba, pioneering feminist, activist, and author, has died peacefully with the assistance of MAID, at home on October 8, 2025, with the love and support of Ottie Lockey, her wife of forty-seven years.
Born in Kalisz, Poland, in 1930, Eve fled to the UK after the outbreak of World War II, then later emigrated to Canada. Active in the Women’s Liberation Movement in the seventies and eighties, Eve was a founding member of Broadside: A Feminist Review published in Toronto from 1978 to 1988. Beloved for her enduring legacy to Canada’s feminist literary scene, Eve created the first lesbian detective in North American fiction, the fiercely intelligent and blunt Helen Keremos, spanning six books. We at Second Story are honoured to have published four titles in this groundbreaking series: Beyond Hope, Uneasy Lies, The Butterfly Effect, and White Noise.
While Eve will always be known for smashing glass ceilings, she will also be remembered for being a voracious lover of life. Fellow Canadian feminist, author, and activist, Susan Cole, honoured Eve in her obituary, writing, “We will always remember her courage, determination, curiosity, and humour.… In the early 1970s, when there were very few lesbians willing to be visible, Eve was out and proud, driving around in her cherished muscle car—she became a collector of hubcaps—and demonstrating to younger women how to live an authentic life.… Fearless. Loyal. Wise. Funny. There won’t be another one like her.”
We wholeheartedly agree.
