BLACKBURN, Catherine
1937 – 2021
Catherine Louise Blackburn (nee Cole)
Born April 4, 1937
Cathy passed away peacefully on Sunday May 30, 2021.
She was predeceased by her dad Arthur Cole, her mom Edith (Willox), her husband Bud Blackburn and their infant son David.
Cathy is survived by her daughter Wendy (Vincent Rochon) and grandchildren Rebecca and Dylan Rochon and her daughter Beth (Neil Bigelow) and grandchildren Emma, Drew and Luke Bigelow.
She is also survived by her brother George Cole (Doris) and her sisters-in-law Shirley Blackburn (Bill-deceased), Ethel Pubrick (Bob) and Kathleen Smith (Ken) as well as a large crew of nieces and nephews.
Cathy was born in Englehart where she spent an idyllic childhood with her parents, grandparents and favourite brother, George. She headed off to the big city for university (U of T) and teacher’s college but returned to the north to marry the love of her life and raise a family in Kirkland Lake, a town she was proud to call home.
After launching her career in Orillia, she moved to KLCVI, teaching an eclectic list of subjects but mainly Health and Physical Education. She coached many high school sports and was known affectionately as “Mrs. B” by thousands of students she taught over the years. She was a dedicated teacher who genuinely cared for the well-being of all her students and focused on empowering young girls long before it became a movement.
She balanced a full-time job with parenting, helping her husband run several businesses over the years (Blackburn Equipment, Windsor Valley and the Commodore Motel to name a few) and actively volunteering on numerous fundraising committees and charitable foundations. She appreciated her good fortune and was always generous to others who needed help.
She was a wonderful mother to Wendy and Beth, supporting all of their interests and constantly reminding them that they were intelligent, beautiful and unique. She instilled her daughters with a strong sense of confidence to carry with them through life. She could do anything and everything and was a caring and proud nanny to Rebecca, Dylan, Emma, Drew and Luke. They admired her quirky sense of humour and her affinity for adventure.
Upon retirement, she immersed herself in Genealogy and became an extensive world traveller; she was the only senior citizen we know of who dared to Bungee Jump in New Zealand just for fun!
An avid sports fan, she loved cheering on the Blue Jays, Leafs, Raptors and the local Gold Miners.
She was a painter, a creative quilter and an expert seamstress with impeccable handwriting. She passed down bits and pieces of her talents to all of us. Except for the penmanship; we can’t think of anyone else who can write like that!
We are thankful for the support she received from her community including her extended family (down at the farm), many close lifelong friends, her neighbours on Algonquin Ave and her friends at the Encore Club.
We are grateful to the staff at Kirkland and District Hospital and Extendicare for their kindness and care over the last several months. Special thanks to her caregiver Mike Kenny who went out of his way to comfort her until the end.
Cathy’s family will be celebrating her life privately at a later date.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of BLACKBURN Catherine 1937 2021..
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Death notice for the town of: Englehart, Province: Ontario