Remembering Paula Lishman

The Lishman Family have been supporters of Biome since our early days as ICFC.  Carmen Lishman is one of our Associates.  We at Biome mourn the passing of Paula Lishman and wish to share this remembrance.

Paula Lin Lishman (nee Vockeroth), June 21, 1949 – December 28, 2025

As she wished, Paula drew her last breath surrounded by her loving family in their earth-integrated home on Purple Hill near Blackstock, Ontario.

Born in Montreal to Erie (née Holmes) and Bob Vockeroth, Paula lived in Goose Bay/Happy Valley, Labrador until age nine when the family moved to Toronto. Although she attended Don Mills Collegiate and later the University of Toronto, her most life-changing educational experience came at age 17 with a program studying Spanish and art in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. There one day she saw a Land Rover with Ontario plates and went over to say hello. That is how she met Bill Lishman, from whom she was seldom parted for over 50 years.

Paula was tall. Nearly six foot three, she helped open the CN Tower as “Toronto’s tallest free-standing woman.” Her height required her to learn how to make her own clothes, setting her on the path to become a uniquely talented designer. Industrious, inventive and wonderfully resourceful, she remained fresh and imaginative throughout a remarkable career in fashion and textile design. The fur knitting method she invented has been hailed as the 20th century’s most important innovation in fur. In the small town of Blackstock she created a thriving custom manufacturing business that employed more than 600 local residents for over three decades.

Paula’s knit fur innovation had global impact, spanning vast distances from the elite boutiques of Tokyo, New York and Carmel to the remote fly-in communities of Canada’s Far North. Her abiding passion was for the indigenous Algonquin and Cree trappers whose livelihoods and culture have been decimated by the decline of the fur trade. As much as possible, she sourced wild furs directly from trappers in Northern Ontario and Manitoba and always insisted on paying a fair price for pelts, even when market prices dropped. She taught her method of making and knitting fur yarn to Dene artisans in communities such as Fort Providence, NWT.

As Paula’s revolutionary knit-fur technique had a profound effect on Canada’s fashion and fur industry, her efforts did not go unrecognized. She was President of the Fur Council of Canada for 15 years and in 1995 was named Canada’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.

Paula’s warmth, generosity, propensity to dance and laugh through life’s trials was singular. She attracted collaborators, admirers and friends from all over the world, charming everyone she met with her confidence and easy grace. She was seldom without knitting needles in hand and a smile on her face. She loved her nickname, the “beaver weaver.”

On top of all that was Paula’s lifelong collaboration with the sculptor, inventor, aviator and conservationist Bill Lishman. Their first joint crusade, alongside many allies in “People or Planes,” was an ultimately successful 1970s struggle to scuttle plans for the Pickering Airport. Many adventures followed, including efforts to train geese and whooping cranes to migrate behind ultralight aircraft, and the Hollywood film Fly Away Home. Many of these projects were funded by Paula’s fur business, and Bill often said he could not have pursued his dreams without Paula’s abiding support.

As much as she loved her work, Paula’s greatest joy was home and family. Her dinner table was typically surrounded by family, friends and visitors from afar sharing laughter, good food and connection.

Paula is survived by offspring Aaron (& Ivy) Lishman, Geordie Lishman, Carmen (& Carmelo Acuña) Lishman; grandchildren: Artemis, Deagan, Marta and Leandro; siblings Glenn (& Donna Doerkson) Vockeroth, Tom (& Carol) Vockeroth and Nadine (& Paul Schipper) Vockeroth.

A celebration of Paula’s life will be held in June, 2026, details pending. In lieu of flowers, please donate generously to Biome Conservation, an organization that supports grass roots efforts to protect the earth’s wild places and that Paula much admired.