Sarah "Sally" Hughes Augustine

Sarah, or Sally as she was known to family and friends, was born in Glasgow, Scotland to parents George Lockhart and Sarah Hughes McKay on December 25, 1946. After graduating from Langside College, Sally worked for a short period of time in Glasgow, before immigrating to Canada in the spring of 1966. She continued her education in Canada and received a diploma from the University of Toronto. Sally enjoyed a lengthy career in the Ontario Public Service, where she worked as a human resources manager and specialist. Sally retired from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in 1997.

Sally’s proudest accomplishment was her family. She is survived by her husband, Victor (Vic) Augustine, her sons Barry Faulkner and Jeff Augustine, and her stepdaughter Karen Augustine. She is also survived by her granddaughter, Nicole Barbetta, who was the centre of her world.

Sally cherished all of her friends, both in Canada and abroad. She enjoyed lifelong friendships with the “three Annes” from Glasgow, with whom she shared numerous days and nights of fun and laughter, and vacations in Canada and Europe. Sally always considered Anne Kelly, Anne MacNealis, and Anne Gilroy to be among her closest friends.

In Canada, Sally met and became fast friends with Joan White and her family. Joan initially cared for her son Barry, but rapidly became part of Sally’s extended family. Over the 50 plus years they knew each other, Sally and Joan were never far apart. They caught up over weekend lunches, quick telephone chats, and visits to each other’s homes. They also spent countless family and holiday dinners together. On hearing of Sally’s passing, Joan remarked that she was like a daughter and sister to her. Joan remains a second mother to both Barry and Jeff to this day.

Sally was also very close to Barbara and Rick Belsito and their family. Sally met Barbara when they worked together at the Ministry of the Environment and bonded quickly over their shared heritage. Sally always looked forward to spending time at Barbara and Rick’s cottage and especially Christmas Eves at their home, where friends and families shared a meal together and sang Christmas carols late into the night. Barbara, Sally and their families shared many happy memories, family vacations, and weddings together over the years.

Sally and Vic traveled extensively. Most often this included vacations to sunny destinations, but also to Scotland, where Sally visited her late sister, Martha Latta and her family, as well as her friend Elaine Vassie and her family. Sally had a particularly close bond with Martha, who helped to raise her as a child and Sally made a special effort to stay in touch with her son, John and his family after Martha’s passing.

Sally also spent time with her late brothers and their families in Liverpool. Her brother Willie’s daughters, Marie and Margaret, were more like sisters than nieces to her. Sally always looked forward to catching up with them and their families, even when she couldn’t travel to see them as often as she would have liked.

Sally instilled the love of travel in her granddaughter, Nicole. Sally and Vic loved planning family vacations each year, which would allow them to spend time with her. Most recently, Nicole joined her grandparents, Jeff, and Barry in California where they drove up the coast from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Sally regarded this trip as one of most cherished memories.

Vic described Sally as a “true Scottish lassie.” She was his loving wife and companion for more than 47 years. He is devastated to lose his soulmate, but finds comfort in knowing that she is at peace and will never be forgotten.

A service for Sally will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at the Kane-Jerrett Funeral Home in Thornhill, Ontario. Due to current pandemic restrictions, Vic and his family are not able to accommodate everyone who may wish to attend. However, the service will be available for viewing online by way of the link on this page. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or the Canadian Lung Association.