Mrs. Elizabeth "Lizzy" Mary Ulrich MacIsaac

      When Mrs. Elizabeth Mary MacIsaac walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who "Lizzy" was and how she impacted those around her. "Lizzy" was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if "Lizzy" wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. "Lizzy" was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

      "Lizzy" was born on March 8, 1930 (in the same Hospital she had her daughter Pamela in 30 years later) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She was the daughter of Mary (Ulrich) Chivari. "Lizzy" was raised in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. "Lizzy" was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

      "Lizzy" was raised with two siblings. She had two younger brothers, Michael and Robert. "Lizzy" was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, "Lizzy" was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served "Lizzy" well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

      As a young girl, "Lizzy" was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. "Lizzy" was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. "Lizzy" took part in the usual childhood games; such as tag, hide and seek, skipping rope, hopscotch. In her spare time she liked to ride her bike. "Lizzy"'s memorable achievements included receiving a special medal from one of the Sister's at the Orphanage she was in for a short time. "Lizzy" had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

      With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, "Lizzy" was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, "Lizzy" was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. Later in life, she became friends with many people. In Germany, she and her husband had a few drinking buddies. In Newfoundland, some of the friends Lizzy and her husband had were, Mary and Paul Commeau, The Ryan Family, Pam and George Peacock, Ethel MacFarlane and her husband. In New Brunswick, they had many friends also, Moira and Gordon Jobe, Debbie and Wayne Cleveland, Anne and Whit Davidson, and more. In Nova Scotia, some of the friends were also relatives like Ruth and Frank MacIsaac, Mary Elda and Mike Chivari, and there were many more like Germaine and Frank Jacobs, Mary Elizabeth and Ralph Poirier, Evelyn, Gordy and Judy, Ella, Stella and Dan, Adeline and George, Kaye and John Violande, Billy and Joan King, and many more.

      On January 7, 1959 "Lizzy" married John "Jack" Peter MacIsaac at St. Nicholas Church of Sydney, Nova Scotia. "Lizzy"'s skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards John's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. "Lizzy" was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

      "Lizzy" was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For "Lizzy", parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the MacIsaac home. "Lizzy"'s skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. "Lizzy" was blessed with two children: One son, Ronald, and one daughter, Pamela. "Lizzy" and John were also blessed with two

grandchildren, John Anthony and Collin Daniel.

      "Lizzy" was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was the role of caregiver, to family and also at various jobs outside of the home. She was a stay at home mom for a few years with her children. She worked in Restaurants, Dry Cleaners, Hotels, and so on. "Lizzy" was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. "Lizzy" had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. "Lizzy"'s fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

      "Lizzy" was a Sgt. In the Army in the Medical Corp. I believe that she served in Nova Scotia for about 5 years. Through her hard work and dedication, she achieved the rank of Sergeant. Her fellow soldiers could count on her for being able to make adjustments to any situation as needed.

      Because "Lizzy" loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Lizzy had many hobbies and interests in her adult life. She enjoyed making things in Ceramics, she loved to play Bingo, she was always playing the Lottery - various types of tickets, she also liked to cook and bake at times and everyone just loved her Apple Pies. "Lizzy" had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, "Lizzy"'s ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

      "Lizzy" derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. Her charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Some of the Recreational sports she participated in included Curling, Riffle Shooting, Bowling and Darts. "Lizzy" was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were Hockey, Baseball, and Figure Skating. Her favorite Hockey team was The Toronto Maple Leafs and her favorite Baseball team was The Toronto Blue Jays.

      Though she never did anything solely for individual recognition, "Lizzy"'s ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness, earned her accolades for her many lifelong efforts. Some of her most prestigious awards included a medal she received from the Sister's at the Orphanage she was in for a few years. She also won many medals and trophies in the sports she participated in - especially Bowling and Riffle Shooting.

      "Lizzy"'s love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, "Lizzy" took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Lizzy often looked forward to the Summer holidays we spent in Sydney, Nova Scotia after we had moved to New Brunswick. She also enjoyed when we would go camping in New Brunswick as well.

      "Lizzy" was a lover of animals and cherished her pets; espcecially Cinnamon, her cat. She just loved her and Lizzy would make up little silver balls with the packaging from her cigarettes for Cinnamon and most of the time when she came home from work, Lizzy would find a collection of the silver balls at the front door and the cat waiting for her to throw them so that she could run and bring them back to Liz. She had Cinnamon for about 2 or 3 years. Over the years there were also other pets. There were a few budgie birds - one of which was Maverick. There were also a couple of dogs; first dog was a puppy, a Beagle named Hobo and then later on there was another puppy, a Poodle named Timmy who was around for many years with the family.

      When "Lizzy"'s retirement finally came in 1994, "Lizzy" handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for "Lizzy" to master. When they were ready to retire, Liz and her husband Jack moved back to their original home province - Nova Scotia. Lizzy took up Bowling again during her retirement and she loved playing with her lottery scratch tickets. She also enjoyed spending time with her sister - in - law Mary Elda and went visiting and spent hours watching the Country Music channel on TV, just talking or playing a game of Cards. Even in retirement, "Lizzy" continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones.

      "Lizzy" MacIsaac passed away on February 17, 2010 at The Wynfield Long Term Care Facility, Oshawa, Ontario - after a three year stay there where she received much love and the absolute best in care. Lizzy had a few medical problems - the main one being Alzheimer's which she had for approximately 7 years prior to her death. Liz took on her health problems with a lot of courage and strength and often with humor - she had a wonderful sense of humor. She is survived by her son Ronald and his wife Filomena, her daughter Pamela and her husband Robert; her grandchildren John Anthony and Collin Daniel; her brothers Michael and Robert and several sister-in-laws, cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends. Services were held at Holy Redeemer Church. "Lizzy" was laid to rest in Resurrection Cemetery in Sydney Forks, Nova Scotia.

      There was always a certain style and inventiveness to "Lizzy". She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to "Lizzy" MacIsaac for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. "Lizzy" was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.

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Elizabeth (Ulrich) MacIsaac

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we, the family, announce the passing of Elizabeth (Ulrich) MacIsaac, 79, at the Wynfield Long Term Care Facility in Oshawa, Ont., which occurred on Feb. 17, 2010.

Elizabeth is survived by her daughter, Pamela (Robert), Ajax, Ont.; her son, Ronald (Filomena), Concord, Ont.; and her two grandchildren, John Anthony and Collin Daniel MacIsaac, both of Concord, Ont. She is also survived by two brothers, Michael, Sydney, and Robert (Delores), Saint John, N.B. She is also survived by sisters-in-law, Mary and Theresa, both formerly from Big Pond, N.S.; and brother-in-law, Frank and sister-in-law (Frank’s wife) Ruth, who was much more than just a sister-in-law, she was a dear friend to Elizabeth. Elizabeth will also be missed by several dear nieces, nephews and other family and friends.

Elizabeth moved into the Wynfield Long Term Facility in February 2007 and she quickly became affectionately known to the staff there as ‘Lizzy’ and became very popular with many of the staff for her incredible and funny stories. Elizabeth’s family would like to thank the staff at the Wynfield for making her three years there so very special and full of fun, love and the ultimate in care. Elizabeth and her family always felt so welcome and special whenever they visited her and they were treated with the utmost kindness and compassion.

Elizabeth lived in many places in her lifetime. She began her life in Halifax, N.S., and then from there moved to Whitney Pier, N.S., then on to Germany and also Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Ontario and then prior to moving to be with her daughter in Ajax, Ont., she moved back to the Whitney Pier area with her husband when they had both retired. Elizabeth enjoyed many activities in her life, some of which were bingo, playing cards, watching baseball (she was an avid Blue Jays fan), watching hockey (she was an avid fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs), listening to country music — a couple of her favourite performers were Elvis Presley and Shania Twain, she made apple pies that everyone who ever had them always wanted more, bowling, watching TV — Dr. Phil was one of her favourites for a long time.

Besides her parents, Elizabeth was predeceased by her loving and devoted husband, John Peter MacIsaac, formerly of Big Pond, N.S. Elizabeth had 40 wonderful years with her devoted husband before losing him in July 1999.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. in T.W. Curry Parkview Chapel, George Street, Sydney. Funeral will be held at Holy Redeemer Church, Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 2:30 p.m., Fr. Errol MacDonald officiating. Burial to take place at Resurrection Cemetery, Sydney Forks.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimers Society of Canada.

Online condolences can be sent to TWCurry.com.