Helen Marie McGrath

Helen McGrath (nee Heber) passed away peacefully at Nesbit Lodge on December 10th; she was ninety-six years old. A true Torontonian, Helen was born and raised in Cabbagetown. Despite growing up during the Depression, Helen would look back fondly on the memories of her childhood. She grew up surrounded by family, and she was especially close to her mother, grandmother, brother and Aunt.

Helen’s first job was at Acme Farmer’s Dairy. It was there that she got to know a young man, Eugene McGrath. In 1949, Helen married Gene at St. Michael’s Cathedral. They honeymooned in New York, a true adventure for the newlywed couple. They settled down in a home she would live in for almost sixty years, in a neighbourhood off the Danforth.

Throughout her life, she became a fixture on the Danforth, visiting her favourite spots, and she always had the time to stop and chat whenever she saw a familiar face. Helen and Gene raised four sons together. One of Helen’s fondest memories were the summers they spent at the cottage with her brother’s family.

Later in life, Helen became a grandparent, a role she and her beloved Gene truly cherished. To her grandchildren, she was Nanny; she was always there to play, to teach, to listen, and to share her wonderful stories.

Sadly in 2001, her husband of fifty-two years of marriage passed away. Despite her great sadness, Helen persevered and moved ahead with grace in this new chapter of her life. Throughout her life, her priority remained maintaining her relationships with family and friends.

She lived her last few years at Nesbit Lodge where she was well cared for and she became a cherished member of the community.

She is lovingly remembered and survived by her sons: Michael, Brian, Paul and Robert; her grandchildren: Matthew, Kaitlyn, Julia and Melissa, her two great grandchildren, and Mya, Kai, Anna and Margaret. She will be dearly missed.

A visitation will be held at Rosar-Morrison Funeral Home & Chapel, located at 467 Sherbourne Street, Toronto, ON, M4X 1K5, Canada, on December 20, 2025, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

The funeral service will follow at the same location on December 20, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm.