'An example to us all': Queen Elizabeth remembered by people in and around Waterloo region

A Waterloo, Ont., woman who handed Queen Elizabeth flowers twice during visits to Canada says she is "quite shocked and very sad" to learn the monarch has died.

The Queen, who reigned for 70 years, died Thursday. She was 96.

The first time Vera von Bogen-Cormier met the Queen, it was in 2002 when the Queen visited the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto during her Golden Jubilee tour. The second time was in Toronto and Waterloo in 2010.

Von Bogen-Cormier was at the tech company Research In Motion, now BlackBerry, when the Queen made a stop there.

"She had a long life and we have to be thankful for that. Not everyone's granted a long life like that, but it's still sad. Sometimes when people live for so long, you almost expect them to always be there," von Bogen-Cormier said.

Von Bogen-Cormier says her interest in the monarch was sparked during a visit to England when she was 10 and she saw Buckingham Palace and realized Queen Elizabeth was also Canada's head of state.

"That's when my passion took off and then I have a big interest in history — the history and tradition of it is something that I really enjoy," she said.

She adds, she's not surprised by the outpouring of support from people around the world following the Queen's death.

"I always figured it would be such a major event, her reign spanning 70 years," von Bogen-Cormier said.

"Even those who aren't big supporters of the monarchy really can't fault her. She's been such an example to us all of service and dedication that I think even those that aren't big supporters still respect her and what she's done for her people."

'Sad that she's gone'

Jamie Hill in St. Agatha says he lowered his flag on Thursday and had received phone calls from family after news of the Queen's death broke.

Over the years, Hill has seen the Queen numerous times, including in 1959 when she came to Kitchener and he stood on the side of the road with his scout troop, to most recently in 2010 at a garden party at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

"I'm quite sad. It's not a shock, it's not anything like that, but it is sad that she's gone," Hill said Thursday afternoon.

"I really cherished the opportunity to see her in person. I think that one of the most thrilling ones was at the garden party at Buckingham Palace in 1984."

He said he admired how the Queen dedicated her life to her people "and did it with such grace and fortitude."

Politicians mark Queen's death

Flags have been lowered to half-mast at buildings in and around Waterloo region, and local politicians are sharing their thoughts on the death of the Queen.

In a statement, regional Chair Karen Redman said the Queen "guided Canada, not merely through office and ceremony, but through her compassion and unwavering commitment to public service. She loved our country."

Redman called the monarch a "role model for generations of leaders, both global and local," and said she "balanced strong, decisive leadership through authentic humility and personal warmth."

Redman also called the Queen an inspiration to "countless women" who have taken on leadership positions.

Wilmot Mayor Les Armstrong, a veteran, says during his time in the navy, the ship he was on got to escort the royal yacht during a visit in 1969.

The world has "lost a great woman who set an example of how to lead her people and how people should respect others," he told CBC News while at a news conference about the merger of Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro and Waterloo North Hydro on Thursday afternoon.

"She will be greatly missed and the world will have a hard time filling her shoes."

Meeting the Queen

In 2016, when the Queen turned 90, some in Waterloo region shared memories of times they met the monarch.

Kitchener resident Bradley Barbour said at the time it was a "remarkable experience to actually shake hands with her and see her" when she was in Toronto in 2010.

• The Queen at 90: Waterloo region residents recall meeting her

"She was sort of stopping every now and then and she stopped at me and we shook hands and I bowed my head and said, 'Your Majesty,' and she continued on," he said.