Hannah Mary (Maureen) Donaghy

Died peacefully at her home in Toronto in the early hours of January 3, 2022. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dilis.

Predeceased by her parents, Thomas O’Flynn and Annie O’Keeffe; her brother James; her husband Michael (1932-2007); her sons Greg (1961-2020) and Tom (1965-2008); and, two infant daughters, Angela (May 1966) and Róisín (January 1974).

Deeply mourned by her loving daughters Mary and Fionnuala, and by her children-in-law, Mary, Margaret, Siobhán, and Philippe. Greatly missed by her “brilliant and talented” grandchildren, Katherine (Greg Tonkin), Michael, and Stephen Donaghy; Monica (Callum Micucci), Brigid and Naomi Trott (and their father, Murray); Liam and Hannah Donaghy; Anne-Mairéad and Colin Lafaury.

Also grieving are Maureen’s brother John, his wife Margaret, and her nieces Jane and Pat, along with their families. Maureen will be sadly missed by a wide circle of family and friends in Canada, Ireland, England, and the United States, connections she cherished and nurtured.

Her absence will also be sorely felt in her parish, where she was active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Catholic Women’s League; and among her former colleagues at the Toronto Catholic District School Board, many of whom have been treasured friends.

Maureen lived life to the full, honing to a high art the skill of finding the silver lining in dark clouds, and humour in the absurd. Even in these last difficult months, we frequently collapsed in helpless laughter. “I am just too fun a person to die like this,” she would rightly declare, as she endured yet another procedure with characteristic stoicism. What a gift it was to us all that her last weeks could be lived at home, where Maureen hosted her smallest-ever Boxing Day party, delighting in the music provided by Philippe and Colin, with dancing by Anne-Mairéad, Mary, and Fionnuala.

Maureen’s hospitality was boundless. Her door was always open — not only to family and friends in search of a cup of tea and a chat — but also to adventurers passing through, and to those in need of refuge for whatever reason. Most warmly welcomed were her ten grandchildren who brought her great joy and learned to share her many pleasures — reading, lively debate, music and dance, travel, a glass of good wine, cryptic crosswords, the occasional wager, chocolate (!) and an afternoon nap.

A woman of great intelligence and insight, Maureen was a tireless advocate for the underdog, the disenfranchised and the marginalized. She longed for a more just world, and until recent weeks, dedicated herself to those issues closest to her heart: relief from poverty, an end to homelessness, and a recognition of the rights of Indigenous peoples. She called repeatedly on the Catholic Church in Canada to respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action – work to now be taken up by those left behind.

A limited group of family and friends will gather to celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, January 8 at 11 am at St. Edward the Confessor, followed immediately by burial at Holy Cross Cemetery. The Mass will be livestreamed at https://youtu.be/R9AoJvGwmWM. If desired, a donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Society or the Good Shepherd Ministries would be kindly appreciated. Online condolences and expressions of sympathy can be left on the Kane-Jerrett Funeral Home website at www.kanejerrett-thornhill.ca.

Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann.