Helen Marie MacDonald (née Callaghan)
1949-2021
After a recent cancer diagnosis, Helen Marie (Callaghan)
MacDonald passed away peacefully on December 10, 2021 in
Fredericton, New Brunswick. Born in Miminegash, PEI on March
7, 1949, Helen was born to Patrick and Isabel (McCarthy)
Callaghan.
Helen was the 11th of
fourteen children, famous within her family for being a bright and
feisty child. Helen was pre-deceased by eight of her siblings: Cecil,
Phil, Ralph (Betty, living), Harvey, Rosalie, Roy, Lorne, and Marilyn
(Stan, living). Helen is survived by five of her siblings: Max
(Sheila), Joyce (Louis, deceased), Pat (Florence), Eloise (Aubrey),
and Louis (Judy). Helen adored her siblings and their partners,
forever finding ways to get everyone together to bond and
laugh.
Helen grew up on a farmhouse on Shore Road in Miminegash,
where she spent her first 17 years. Throughout her life, she stayed
true to her genuine, salt-of-the-earth roots. Helen graduated from
Tignish Regional High School in 1966, where she was class
valedictorian and finished top of her class, winning the
Governor’s General Medal for highest academic standing.
Helen had a life-long love of learning and took great pride in her
pursuits. She attended the University of Prince Edward Island,
graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Bachelor of
Education in 1971.
At a barn dance at UPEI, Helen met Wally. She gave him a wink
and the rest was history. They married in 1971 and moved to
Summerside, PEI. Helen and Wally had two children, Alexis (Hayaan) and
Matthew (Michelle). As a mom, Helen was so caring. She loved “her
kiddies.” She loved to whip them up nacho dip and rhubarb
crumble, or fly to Toronto for a family adventure. But her warm hugs
(with the accompanying joyful sigh) were the best. As a
“G’ma”, Helen loved to go to the beach for an
ocean swim with her granddaughter Obi (“Oh, the water’s
so warm!”). Wally and Helen were married for over 25 years and
remained close friends even after their separation. Later in life,
Helen felt fortunate to meet a wonderful man, Brian Hannon, and they
married in 2019. They shared a love for travel, curling, bridge, golf,
and cottage life. They had a wonderful five years together before
their life together was sadly cut short.
Helen was a teacher for over 25 years at Elm Street
Elementary School in Summerside. As a teacher, Helen was kind,
patient, and knowledgeable, committed to helping children most in
need. She initially taught grade six, then moved into resource room
teaching, and ended with special education consulting at the Western
School Board. Helen also served for several years on the executive of
the PEI Teacher’s Federation. She was most proud of her work
advocating against child poverty. Even in her retirement, Helen
continued to tutor children and be a passionate advocate for
education. She was very moved by the plight of African grandmothers
who lost their children to AIDS. In 2008, she co-founded the
G’Ma Circle of PEI, a grandmothers group that raised
thousands of dollars for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Helen proudly
represented the Canadian grandmothers at a Grandmothers Gathering in
Swaziland in 2010.
Throughout her life, Helen had two major pursuits: curling
and bridge. She excelled at them both. Helen won six Senior/Masters
Women’s Curling Provincials, four times with PEI and twice
with NB. Helen was known for her solid draw-weight and for being a
great teammate. In bridge, Helen was formidable and reached the high
status of Gold Life Master just this past July. She enjoyed connecting
with her friends at the Summerside Bridge Club and the Fiddlehead
Bridge Club in Fredericton.
Helen had a deep curiosity about the world. In her youth, she
travelled throughout Canada and Europe. She continued to travel in her
retirement to Mexico, Arizona, Italy, and the Caribbean.
Helen’s worldly nature showed up in her pizzazz for food,
fashion, and vocabulary. She would often be heard saying:
“Isn’t this decadent?” Helen absolutely loved
people, and they loved her in return. Her youthful spirit and quirky
ways were hard not to love. “Helen is so lovely,” would be
the common refrain. She was famous for her hosting abilities at her
Island cottage in Fernwood. With Lennie Gallant playing in the
background, Helen would bring out some mussels and share a toast as
the sun went down. This is how we will remember her. We will forever
miss our Hélène, our baby, our
sweetie-pie, our tu-tu. We love you, Helen.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in
Helen’s honour. Two options:
1) Contribute to a bursary for a female student with
financial need to attend university (www.stfx.ca/helenmacdonald);
2) Hospice Fredericton (www.hospicefredericton.ca)
Invite – Virtual Memorial Service – Helen
MacDonald
You are invited to attend a virtual memorial service for
Helen MacDonald on Wednesday
afternoon, December 15th at 1 pm Atlantic time
in Fredericton, NB. This is an opportunity to hear our
favourite memories about Helen.
Given the restrictions of COVID-19, we are hosting a small
private gathering which we will live stream.
On the day of the service, you are welcome to join us by
clicking on this Zoom link:
us02web.zoom.us/j/81958529180?pwd=UGoxcVFVd3VtQ3FVcTAyZFRwcUpJZz09
Meeting ID: 819 5852 9180
Passcode: Helen
Zoom is very user-friendly. We have included some tips below
on how to use Zoom, for anyone who is less familiar with this
program.
Of course, no pressure to join. We will attempt to record the
service, so if you are unavailable to watch it live, we hope to be
able to share it post-event.
We look forward to grieving and celebrating with
you.
How-to-use
ZOOM
1. Click on
the link (link will only be active during the service,
starting December 15)
Link: us02web.zoom.us/j/81958529180?pwd=UGoxcVFVd3VtQ3FVcTAyZFRwcUpJZz09
Meeting ID:
819 5852 9180
Passcode:
Helen
2. You may
be asked to launch or install the Zoom application if you have not
used it before. We recommend installing it in advance on your laptop
(or your tablet/phone). If you have any issues in the days leading up
to the memorial, please reach out to
us.
You can
install it by clicking here: zoom.us/download
3. Prior to
the memorial, we recommend logging in 10-15 minutes early to ensure
that it is working properly for you.
4. Once
launched, you may be asked to type in the meeting ID and
password.
5. You will
automatically join the memorial service once it
begins.
6. Once you
join, you will want to ensure that your microphone is muted and your
video is off. Remember that people can see you and your background if
you leave your camera on
7. During
the memorial service, you are welcome to use the “Chat” box
to leave a comment to be shared with the family. Simply press the
“Chat” button. Note that everyone will be able to see your
message.
8. At the
end of the service you can exit by pressing “Leave” or by
closing the browser screen.
www.mcadamsfh.com
Click here to View Condolences
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Helen Marie MacDonald nee Callaghan 19492021..
Death notice for the town of: Fredericton, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick