Grace Rachel DeYoung

Grace (Holland) (Rodgers) DeYoung age 86 of Bedford, NS sadly passed away on January 16, 2026 at Ivany Place, Bedford, NS. Born in Halifax she was the daughter of Margaret Holland and Frederick Bosch on October 8, 1939 in Halifax, NS.

Grace loved to crochet, and her craftsmanship was second to none. Over the years, she created countless handmade gifts for those she loved. She was a proud member of the Beazley Bowling League. In her earlier years, she enjoyed her cigarettes and Doublemint gum. Later on, she found joy in playing crib, doing word searches and lexicons, and she especially loved BINGO and scratch tickets.

Grace had a deep love of music and cherished the times she could dance with Dad. She never passed up her favorite meals—lobster, scallops, and a good boiled dinner. She made sure to take all of us to the Natal Day parades and to Eastern Passage Days for seafood chowder.

Beyond being a devoted homemaker, Grace always had a grandchild or two at her house for company and never missed a birthday phone call. Even in the nursing home, she remained quite the social butterfly, forming connections wherever she went.

Grace met the love of her life at the age of sixteen, married, and together they raised seven children and added twenty-three grandchildren, and eighteen great-grandchildren to their family. She was truly a remarkable woman—a wonderful mother, daughter, and grandmother; a devoted wife; a great friend; and a loving sister and aunt.

She is survived by her sons, Donald and Steven (Darlene); daughters, Anna, Cathy (Tony), Grace, Sylvia (Stephen) and Rachel (Kirby);sisters, Joan B and Constance C; grandchildren, Theresa, Lisa, Deanna, Lil Donald, Denton, Richard, Adrian, Eric, Chelsie, Dylan, Paige, Alex, BJ, Coral, Avery, Jayden, Ashton, Kelton, Lavonnah, Bryer and Krogger; great-grandchildren, Kyla, Merci Grace, Rayne, Nova, Henry, Sofia, Alora, Avalon, BJ Jr, Chase, Leiah, Cayleb, Christian, Rayne, Emir, Adam, Gavin and Isaac along with several nieces and nephews. Grace was predeceased by her first husband, Donald Rodgers; her second husband, Don DeYoung; grandson, Kyle Rodgers; granddaughter, Andrea Babin and son-in-law, Gary Babin; brothers, Earl "Big Bud", Fred, Nelson "Little Buddy" and Johnie and sisters, Dorothy T, Betty T, Muriel W and Shirley S.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2026 from 12-2 at A.L Mattatall Funeral Home, 217 Portland Street, Dartmouth where service will also be held immediately after the visitation at 2pm. Rev. Kevin Little to officiate. A reception will follow the service. Burial will take place at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Sackville later in the spring. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

Our family would like to extend our sincere thanks to Megan, Elizabeth, Sarah, Chris R, and Beverly of Northwood Ivany Place in Bedford for the exemplary care they provided to our mother. May God bless you for your compassion, dedication, and commitment to your work.