Catherine (Hetman) Bubnich

Catherine Bubnich (Nee Hetman) passed away quietly on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 after a lengthy struggle with brain cancer, making it the first time in her remarkable life that she ever did anything quietly.

Catherine was defined by her passion for life and for people but of course no one more was more important to her than her loving husband Stephen, who was by her side (as usual) when she passed, and her precious ‘kiddoes’, Christopher and Kate. She loved and was loved by their respective partners, Yeoungju and Joey. Sadly, she never got be the over-the-top Grandmother she would have been to her granddaughter Bryn who was born on October 20 to proud parents Christopher and Yeoungju. Catherine is also survived by her mother Mildred (who turned 100 this August) and her sister Patricia Croft in Calgary.

She was always most proud of her roles as loving Mom and devoted wife but she wore many other hats (and shoes, and boots and dresses etc etc etc). Catherine had a successful career as a professional figure skating coach and another one as a top salesperson but it was her volunteer work where she left her greatest marks. She started innocently as ‘Class Mom’ when her kids were in primary school just as a way to be near them more hours of the day. She then took over the basic ‘Pizza Day’, revamped and expanded the process and organized it to the nth degree and was known and loved by every child, teacher and administrator in the school as well as all the volunteers on her team. It seems that experience inspired the volunteer bug because since then, if she was in a room and anyone said “We are looking for someone to help with…”, Catherine’s hand would go up before they could even finish the sentence. It almost didn’t matter what the job was or the extent of the challenge or even if she knew anything about it, she would embrace it and attack it and always excel.

Catherine ran the Look Good Feel Better workshops for women with cancer at the Lakeshore Hospital for 20 years and positively impacted literally thousands of lives; she was on the User’s Committee at the Lakeshore Hospital; she was on the executive committee of the Beaconsfield Cycling Club for 10 years. Most recently she ran the Thrift Shop For Nova in Kirkland and also helped set up and then run the shop in Pointe-Claire for a time. She always worked harder than anyone else and did all of this with infectious energy that inspired everyone she worked with.

In her spare time (!) she was a golfer, cyclist, skier, hiker and most recently a lawn bowler. She organized golf tournaments, memorable parties and fabulous dinners and any other type of event that involved people and fun.

Catherine was an avid traveller and never had to be asked twice if she wanted to go on a trip. Most were enjoyed with her husband but she would embrace any opportunity to go anywhere and travelled often with close friends and made all of those experiences so much more memorable for everyone.

And to further highlight the extent of her talents and passion for life she did all of the above with a glass of wine in her hand!

She was a force and is remembered by everyone who ever met her.

There will be a celebration of life gathering and true to Catherine’s spirit, it will be a celebration (a.k.a. party!) on October 5, 2024 from 1pm to 5pm at the Belvedere Cemetery and Funeral Complex, located at 22025 Trans-Canada Hwy, Senneville, Quebec H9X 0B2, Canada.

Collins Clarke MacGillivray White will webcast the funeral ceremony of Catherine (Hetman) Bubnich on Saturday, October 5, 2024 from 14:20 AM EDT to 15:40 PM EDT.

You can view the ceremony live or on replay at https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/87380

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers that any contribution be made in Catherine’s name to Nova West Island ( www.novawi.org )