She passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Monday, January 13th, at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital.
Her family and friends were so blessed having her in our lives for 72 years.
Marguerite was born September 15, 1952, the fourth of eight children, and was raised at the family home on Keltic Drive (formerly the Barren Road). She briefly attended nursing school after high school before joining Air Canada where she spent years based out of Halifax and Calgary. She left the airline to marry and start her family with her husband Malcolm in Sydney Forks, where she resided until a recent move to Iona. Her later years she spent surrounded by children working at Sydney Daycare.
She is survived by her daughters Katie, Sydney Forks and Maggie (Scott Cameron), Halifax: stepdaughter Ann Marie MacInnes (Deryl), Sydney: stepsons Edward (Kim), Calgary, Robert, Edmonton, Art (Gina), Victoria B.C., John (Brenda), Westmount, and Kenny (Tracey) Baddeck: brothers Hugh (Linda), Benacadie, N.S., Bernie (Jo-Ann), Sydney River and Doyle (Michelle), Glace Bay: sisters Dena Fairn, Albany Cross, N.S., Brenda Guinard (Paul), Halifax, Estelle Reynolds (Bill), Elmsdale, N.S., and Colleen Oram (Brian), Sydney: daughter-in-law Joanne, Westmount, sisters-in-law Theresa Gillis and Cecilia: aunts Flo MacNeil and Rita Madore.
She is also survived by her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins, all of whom held a special place in her heart.
She was predeceased by her husband Malcolm MacKinnon, his siblings John, Neil, Michael, Bernie, Peggy, Mary and Minnie: stepson Leonard, her parents Roddie and Margie MacKinnon, and brothers-in-law Rannie Gillis, Pat Flaherty, Laird Fairn and Garth Ross: and two brothers in infancy.
Anyone who knew Marguerite, loved Marguerite. You could not meet a more genuinely sincere, kind person who treated others like they were the most important person in the world — a testament to the fact she had such a vast network of lifelong friends.
Her infectious smile, laugh and quick wit were matched only by her zest for life and zeal for socialization.
While she travelled extensively across the globe in her younger years with Air Canada, she was thrilled with more recent trips with her daughters Katie and Maggie to London, sister Estelle and cousins Mary and Theresa to Ireland, and her Dominican getaway with son and daughter-in-law Kenny and Tracey, and her granddaughters Abbie and Emma.
And while travel played a large role in Marg’s life, it was spending time around family and friends in Nova Scotia, especially at cousin Pat’s and Linda’s in Benacadie Pond, where she was most in her element.
Many Friday nights you could find her at her card partner (and sister-in-law) Mary’s, playing Auction against her mother Margie Dan X and sister-in-law Theresa. On weekends she loved spending time baking bread with her grandchildren, hosting barbecues or Sunday dinners, and taking every opportunity to celebrate with family.
While Marguerite fancied herself an elite scat player (some family members assert she was prone to bouts of delusion on this point), there was no disputing her superiority when it came to cooking and baking. It was her passion.
She was truly a masterful cook and baker. The only thing she enjoyed more than working her culinary magic in the kitchen was sharing it with those she loved. Her creations weren’t just food, they were an expression of love.
We were all so blessed to have broken bread with you, Marguerite. Especially when it was bread that you had made.
Visitation will take place Friday, Jan.17, at T.W. Curry’s Parkview Chapel from 5-8 p.m. Funeral mass will be held at St. Columba Church, Iona, on Saturday, Jan.18, at 11 a.m. Interment will be held at a later date in St. Barra's Parish Cemetery, Christmas Island.
The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to EHS personnel and the caring Emergency Department and ICU staff at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital for their kind treatment of Marguerite and the entire family in a difficult time.
Family flowers only. Donations can be made to the St Barra Cemetery in her memory.
In the words of her mother, whom she dearly missed after her recent passing at age 99, ‘Good night and God bless Marg.’
