Grace Anne Faber Saabas

Saabas, Grace Anne (née Faber) passed away in her sleep on May 24th at the age of 90 years. Predeceased by her husband Reverend Helmut Saabas (1922-2004) and survived by her children John, Paul, and Andrew and her seven grandchildren Michelle, Gregory, Arielle, David, James, Erica and Stephen as well as her two great granddaughters Bradie and MacKenzie.

Born on May 17, 1932 in Tavistock, Ontario, she grew up as an only child. It was clear from an early age that she was not destined to live a solitary life. Grace earned a Bachelor of Arts from Waterloo College in 1958 as well as graduating from the Mother House in Baltimore where she developed her lifelong passion for education, literacy and the work of the church. She enjoyed being surrounded by people and ensured that she always had a busy household by hosting visiting clergy, her friends or the friends of her children and grandchildren. Beyond her experimenting with various types of cuisine, a big part of the attraction was the plentiful seasonal baking in which she involved anyone within her reach. She enjoyed knitting, quilting, card games and a good scotch. She was known for witty banter which, at times, led to her being kind but not always nice.

Her Lutheran faith was an important part of her life which guided her benevolent activities and where she formed life long and meaningful friendships that helped sustain her until her last days. She was particularly passionate about adult literacy and in 2002 she received a Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of her work as well as a lifelong membership in RECLAIM in 2005. In lieu of flowers, a donation to Yamaska literacy (yamaskaliteracy.ca) would be appreciated

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to her caregiver Laila Elumbra who provided special care for Grace in the last 8 months of her life. We would also appreciate all of the work of the third floor staff of Westmount One who provided support and a loving environment for our mother in the last year.

Visations will take place at the Collins Clarke MacGillivray White funeral home ( 5610 Sherbrooke St. W, Montreal,QC,H4A 1W5) May 26 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The service will be on the following day at 10 a.m. at the funeral home chapel.