Grace Catherine Bornais nee MacIntosh
Our centre, our light, our giver of life, Grace Catherine Bornais, nee MacIntosh, passed away suddenly on Monday, December 19, 2016 at the Northside General Hospital. Grace was born at home in Bras d’Or in 1930, daughter of Norman and Kathryn (Nicholson) MacIntosh. Survived by children, Wilfred (Nancy), Stephen (Kim), Robert (Christina), Joanne (Myron), Shawn, Andre (Jennifer); her brother, Peter MacIntosh; her 10 grandchildren, Katherine, Mathieu, Nathan, Emily, Sarah, Jordan, Brendan, Nikolas, Riley, Shamus, step daughter Nikki; step-great grandchildren, Charlotte and Olivia and many nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by husband, Wilfrid, infant son, Anthony, sisters, Joan, Mary, Gertrude, Yvonne, Betty, and brothers, Jack, Joseph, Anthony, Jerry, and Norman. Mom grew up in a crowded house and lived in a crowded house most of her life. She attended Bras d’Or School, Notre Dame and Sydney Mines High, graduating in 1948. That year she left for nursing school in Halifax, as she often said “green as grass”. Grace was a registered nurse for over 45 years working at a number of hospitals including Toronto Children’s, Halifax Children’s, Halifax infirmary, and finally at Harbourview in Sydney Mines where she worked until she retired in 1993. She was enormously proud of her chosen profession, gaining reputation as a caring, skilled but a straight-shooting “no B.S.” nurse. Grace moved to Toronto in 1951 to further her career, and it was there she met the future love of her life, a dapper francophone named Wilfrid (decades later when his children pressed for how much English he knew to woo her, our father quipped “enough”.)
In 1961 Grace and Wilfrid with two children in tow and another on the way left the hustle and bustle of Toronto for the slower pace and greater economic opportunities of industrial Cape Breton (really!). Their family continued to grow adding a daughter and 3 more sons. Eventually, they built their family home where she lived for the remainder of her life. Mom’s most important design advice was “we are keeping the trees” becoming the only house in the new subdivision with mature trees.
For those who had the pleasure to know her, her wit – quick, occasionally biting but always with a wink - was legendary. When recently asked what she wanted as a gift brought back from Paris was “another little Frenchman” was the lightning reply. She was the lover of a good cup of tea, a true rarity in her books (milk in first!), Coronation Street fanatic, and avid participant of her grandchildren’s adventures. Grace was a selfless person, generous and giving and never forgot a kindness whether it was the Salvation Army assistance to find her son, Robert when he was lost in the woods or the hospitality of Pam Spicier during her sister, Yvonne’s battle with cancer. A huge thanks to the emergency staff of the Cape Breton Regional and Northside General Hospitals and a special thank you to the wonderful and caring staff off the Palliative Care Unit of the Northside General. Visitation for Grace will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday in the W.J. Dooley Funeral Home, 107 Pleasant Street, North Sydney. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday at St. Joseph Church, North Sydney with Rev. Patrick O’Neill officiating. Burial at a later date in Holy Cross Cemetery, North Sydney. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to St. Joseph Church Improvement Fund or Hospice society at the Northside General Hospital. Online condolences may be sent to www.wjdooley.com.
Hug your loved one and share with them your most precious gift of all, your time.
“We had her for 60 years, now she can be with her baby Anthony”
