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Sarah Jane 'Jean' MacLean

Sarah Jane 'Jean' MacLean

Born In: Sydney Mines
Born: May 30th, 1931

Passed on: July 23rd, 2015

It is with saddened hearts that we announce the passing of our cherished mother, Sarah Jane ‘Jean’ MacLean, wife of the late Johnny Red Rory MacLean ‘Johnny Washabuck’, on July 23, 2015. She lost her long struggle with dementia after a fall caused her to slip into a rapid decline.
Sarah was born in Sydney Mines, Cape Breton to Patrick and Mathilda Currie on May 30, 1931, one of 14 siblings.
She was predeceased by her husband, John Charles MacLean, brothers, John, Paddy, Cyril, Mickey, infant Peter and sisters, Grace, Suzie, Georgina and Aggie.
Sarah will be sorely missed by her children Ann, Halifax, Charlene (Melvin Burke), White’s Lake, Patricia (Fred Hunter), Whitby, John (Sandra Gavell), Cole Harbour, and Colleen (Robert Blackburn), Sackville, N.S.; loving grandchildren, James, Hamilton Ont., Natalie, Squamish, B.C., Cailean, Jasper, Alta., Eilidh and Lachlan, Cole Harbour, Kiley and Sean, Halifax, Shannon and Ashley, Toronto, and great-grandson, North, Hamilton, Ont. She is also survived by sisters, Pauline Leon, Sydney, Patricia Leon, Sydney, Mathilda Bagnell, Sydney and Shirley Bourgeois, Halifax.
When Sarah was a little girl, the Curries returned to their ancestral homestead in MacAdam’s Lake, Cape Breton, where they remained, running a lumber camp and general store. Sarah was raised in a traditional Gaelic environment, rich in the cultural traditions of her ancestors from South Uist. At a very young age she had many responsibilities and acquired an impressive list of skills in baking, cooking, quilt making, knitting, sewing and gardening. Later in life she would excel at catering, baking wedding cakes and creating astonishing gardens wherever she lived. She had a love for pipe music, which she heard in her home and community continuously, most notably from her father Paddy Currie and uncle Alex Currie, who were legendary traditional pipers. Without realizing it, Sarah was one of the last individuals anywhere to learn step-dancing and square sets to pipe music, a tradition lost even in Scotland. Sarah instilled this love of traditional Gaelic music in her children and grandchildren, several of whom became pipers, fiddlers, guitar players, and step dancers in their own right.
In 1951, Sarah married John MacLean, (Johnny Red Rory) of Washabuck, who was a noted step dancer and fiddler from another family of great tradition bearers. They were dedicated to each other from then on and had loving life together, living in Sydney and East Bay. The times were difficult though, and Sarah showed her strength raising the growing family alone when Johnny (having already served in the North Nova Scotia Highlanders in the Second World War) had to return to the Canadian Army for employment in the early 1950s. In 1963, they made the move to Toronto and had 20 wonderful years raising their children there. In Toronto, Jean and Johnny opened their home any time to expatriate Cape Bretoners, hosting many ceilidhs and music sessions, during which Sarah was well known for her well-set table and bounteous supply of baked treats for her guests. They had many dear friends from “down home” and their house on Stewart Smith Drive became a stopping place for many of the era’s great Cape Breton musicians such as Doug MacPhee, Johnny Wilmot, Bill Lamey, Big Donald MacLellan, Father Hugh A. MacDonald, Angus Chisholm, Janet Cameron, Francis Cameron, John Campbell, Sandy MacIntyre, John Allen Cameron, Findlay Walker, Winston Fitzgerald, Maybelle and Cameron Chisholm, Gerry Romard, Albert Chaisson, Danny Aucoin, Wilfred Chaisson and many more friends from Cheticamp.
Shortly after Sarah and Johnny retired to East Bay in 1982, Sarah suffered her hardest moments at the sudden death of her husband. Johnny was only 58 and Sarah was 53. Her religious faith remained unshakable throughout those difficult years and she dedicated herself to helping other widows in their own struggles. She continued her passionate attachment to traditional music, cooking, baking and gardening, winning several awards for her recipes and gardens.
The family would like to express its thanks to the wonderful staff of 7.2 South at the Halifax Infirmary, who provided compassion and superb care for our mother.
Visitation for the late Mrs. MacLean will take place 7-9 p.m. on Sunday, July 26 at T.W. Curry Parkview Chapel in Sydney. A funeral mass will be held 2:30 p.m. on Monday, July 27 at St. Mary’s Church, East Bay. Interment will be in Holy Rosary Cemetery, Washabuck.
Online condolences may be made by visiting www.twcurry.com.
Ach pìob nuallanach mhòr
Bheireadh buaidh air gach ceòl
Nuair a ghluaist' i le meòir Phàdraig
Nuair a ghluaist' i le meòir Phàdraig
But the great shrill-voiced pipe
All music surpassing
When Patrick's fingers stirred it
When Patrick's fingers stirred it
(Ri Fuaim an Taibh, Mary MacLeod 1615-1707)


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