Maureen Bernard
September 28, 2022
Maureen Bernard
1950-2022
It is with great sadness that we share that our sister, friend and beloved Aunt Maureen passed away on the 28th of September due to complications with COPD and Covid 19 at the Dartmouth General Hospital.
Maureen was pre-deceased by her parents Florence and Victor Bernard, her sister Mary Hotte, good friends JP Prince, Ray Green, and her friend and tormentor Sam Yurikew.
She is survived by her sisters Leona Godin(Louie), Joyce(Barry), Paulette Lamoureux(Michel), Judy Guage(Ken), and her brother Peter Bernard. She will be greatly missed by her best friend Beth Ament, Goddaughter Kaleigh many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. A few very lucky cats got to experience long-term love and life with Maureen, and they wanted for nothing. Her cat, Lacey will miss her dearly.
Maureen grew up on Dawson Street in Dartmouth Nova Scotia, where she once rode an elephant in a Natal Day parade, thus forging a life-long love of the animal.
Having left home to move North in 1982, Maureen was a true Northerner in her soul and loved and respected her Elders. She spent several years living and working in Yellowknife at the Gold Range Hotel and Diner until 1999. Many there knew her by Mo and Bernie. Maureen always had a special place in her heart for people that were down on their luck and especially the Elders. She always watched out for them and helped in any way that she could. Eventually, she moved to Inuvik where she worked at CIBC and then with the Elders in Long Term Care at the hospital.
She shared her adventurous and exciting experiences in the Northwest Territories in a way that enticed many of her family members to visit and, also make a life there. Maureen believed in education and encouraged it, going on herself to graduate from Aurora College in 2005 with a Certificate in Office Administration.
Maureen was special. She always tried hard to understand and always listened to the experiences of others. She helped where and when she could, always without judgment and in all areas of her life, she spoke in a way that people could understand, a true and rare gift. She was a genuine, generous person who treated people with dignity and kindness. Her bold, matter-of-fact, can’t lie to you (even a little white one) attitude and spirit made so many people love and respect her.
She enjoyed traveling to Jamaica with her sister Joyce, but did not enjoy the fish in the ocean when they touched her feet. She spent time each year with her sister Leona and her brother-in-law Louie in Edmonton and Victoria. In her final years, she moved back to Dartmouth Nova Scotia where she spent time with her sisters Mary and Paulette and her brother in law Michel, dining out and enjoying relaxing and feeding the birds in the backyard.
Her hobbies included metal detecting, gold panning, and she loved a good Hallmark movie and reality television. While in the North, Maureen loved playing TV Bingo, and watching the Northern Lights.
She valued and respected the voices of children. This was clear during her many conversations with great nieces and nephews by whom she was adored and with whom she shared vibrant stories and sang joyful imaginative songs, she always listened to their stories however long or inventive.
Maureen has been cremated and was placed to rest at the Gates of Heaven Cemetery with her parents. As per her wishes, there will be no service. Should one wish to make a donation in her memory, we suggest the Bide Awhile Animal Shelter at bideawhile.org/ways-to-donate/donate-now/ .
Maureen’s family would like to thank the staff on Wards 3 East and West at the Dartmouth General Hospital, and Nurse Practitioner Kim.
September 28 2022
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Maureen Bernard September 28 2022..
Décès pour la Ville: Dartmouth, Province: Nova Scotia