Mary Elizabeth Hellstrom

Mary, E. Hellstrom, nee Keleher, wife of Barry Goyetche, died on April 10, 2025 surrounded by family and friends and her dedicated husband Barry. Mary found Barry later in life, and we are so grateful she did. Barry was a caring, devoted companion and we couldn’t have chosen better for Mom. Barry has been a beacon of strength, kindness and a wonderful caregiver to Mom as she navigated and fought hard to overcome her cancer diagnosis.

As she was preparing for the inevitable, Mom – true to form – wrote her own obituary. It was important that everything was just right, with no detail missed. She never stopped organizing, making lists and making sure she had arranged everything as it should be, so we are sure she is a little irritated we did not just print her version. But we could not say a proper goodbye without including some of our own tribute to our Mary, Mom, Nana.

Mom is survived by her daughter Christa Brothers, (Colin Brothers) daughter Amanda Daniels, (Anthony Daniels), and her cherished grandchildren Mya and Tevin Brothers. She never had sons of her own but loved welcoming Colin and Anthony into her family and especially loved their hugs!

Mom was predeceased by her parents, Thomas J. Keleher and Beryl V. Keleher and her two oldest brothers David Keleher and Donald P. Keleher, who tortured her in her youth (including dunking her head in a toilet), but loved her so very much.

Born February 2, 1952, she was raised in the Westmount Subdivision, attending Saint Agnes School and Saint Patrick’s High School. A woman of keen intellect with a love of education, Mom attended Saint Mary’s University where she graduated with a Diploma in Engineering, BSc in Engineering Management and an MBA in Human Resources.

She was exceptionally bright and well read, resulting in very strong but always well informed opinions! She particularly excelled in the STEM subjects, skipping grades in school, notably at a time when few women were supported in their excellence at math and sciences. But Mom was not to be deterred by social norms. She completed three degrees, and went on to have a successful 25 year career in the engineering consulting field with Chebucto Engineering and CBCL Limited, retiring in 2017. She loved her work and missed the challenges it provided but took great pleasure in sharing her love of math with Mya and Tevin, noting fondly that seemed to have skipped a generation!

Despite what could be said about her capacity for ongoing learning, her most cherished accomplishments and blessings had nothing to do with degrees, money or material possessions.

She was a single Mom, raising two daughters. She was the queen of coupon cutting, sweater knitting and making a buck last longer than anyone could imagine. She somehow managed to save enough to take us on a great adventure in the sunny Caribbean aboard a cruise ship. We have shared many laughs about that wonderful time. But Mom valued education above all else. She instilled this in us, her daughters, and was immensely proud as she watched us each graduate from post secondary education.

She also derived great joy from her two grandchildren, Mya and Tevin. She hosted tea parties with them when they were young, shared her love of books, and even enjoyed shooting hoops with them. Countless, and sometime stressful, hours, were spent creating their Halloween costumes. No matter how grandiose the concept might be, she rose to the occasion and delighted in seeing them enjoy the final product.

Mary and Barry’s home on Wren Street was her sanctuary. She loved her tiered gardens and found solace digging in the dirt, eating homegrown fruit and veggies, growing flowers, watching the bees and decorating with whirly gigs! And Mom loved baking, turning out endless cookies, cakes, pies, loaves, squares and desserts for friends and family alike, just to see their radiant smiles when they received them. There was no matching her famous chocolate cake that showed up for birthdays! We will all miss these goodies.

Mom had a diverse set of interests and created lasting friendships everywhere she went. She has so many special friends near and dear to her heart including Nana Mary. Many of her friendships span six decades but she has also forged significant relationships with people she and Barry met during their beloved camping trips! Knowing she was leaving those friends, old and new, was very difficult but please know she cherished all of her friends and the memories you created with her. These friends picked her up when she had setbacks and difficulties and gave her strength to keep going each day. We thank all of those who supported Mom and brought her immense joy. Special thanks to Kelly, Tracy, Colleen and Kevin for being there at the end and helping to give her a peaceful transition.

Mom loved being welcomed into the Goyetche family. She was embraced with warmth, kindness and acceptance. She forged a special relationship with Margaret and enjoyed being part of such a large family.

In Barry, she found a person who accepted her for who she was, was loyal, devoted and loved her with all of his heart. Words cannot properly express how profoundly thankful we are for everything Barry has given to and done for Mom.

Mom and Barry spent well over two decades enjoying each others company, travelling to Rome, Naples, Dubrovnik, Taorimina, Barcelona, Cannes, Nice, Ireland, Quebec, and the US. Despite their international travels, probably their happiest times were camping all over Nova Scotia and meeting people from all over the world. They loved bringing their grandpuppy, Tyson along with them as well as Mya and Tevin who loved swimming in the lakes and making s’mores over the campfire. Even though Mom has left us too soon, these are times Mya and Tevin (and Tyson) will never forget.

We are also so grateful to Barry for taking such good care of Mom over the past three years. It was a hard road at times, and she could be demanding, but Barry never waivered and gave her better care than we could have expected or even hoped. Barry, Mom loved you dearly. We can never thank you enough, and (like it or not), you are a part of our family forever.

No matter what life brought, memories of happy times with her family and friends sustained Mom. True to form, she fought until the end, and we take comfort knowing she is at peace.

Thank you for everything you did for us Mom.

Love Amanda and Christa

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider making a donation to our family scholarship that has been very near and dear to Mary’s heart: the Thomas J and Donald P Keleher Memorial Scholarship Fund, which supports local Atlantic Canadian students at Saint Mary’s University. The contact person for donation information is Patricia Mac Arthur 782-641-5592, [email protected]. Alternatively, please consider a donation to Ovarian Cancer Canada, at www.ovariancanada.org