Obituary
Dolores Marie Nixon (Wagner), RN, St. Michael’s Hospital class of 1952, went peacefully into the arms of Jesus on to the next grand adventure on February 12th, 2022 at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital in her 91st year. Dolores was the adored wife of Robert Nixon for 66 happy years. Mom will be missed forever by her children, Michael (Cindy Westlake) of Oakville, Terri (Tim Smeijers) of Wiarton, Tom (Sheryl Murray) of Scarborough and Mary Lou (John Fuca) of Burlington. Dolores was most proud to be the world’s best Grammy of two generations of grandchildren, Victoria, Madeline, Nathaniel, Eliana and Riley. She is reunited with her parents William and Mary Wagner, brother Bill Wagner, and many much-loved friends. Visitation will be held at Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Rd. W. in Oakville, on Tuesday, February 15th, 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm. A funeral mass will be held at Saint Dominic Parish, 2415 Rebecca St. in Oakville, on Wednesday, February 16th at 11am.
Dolores was born on July 11th, 1931 and spent her childhood surrounded by family in Chesley, Ontario. She grew up in a little house across from the train tracks and the Krug Brothers furniture factory where her father worked. She spent her childhood alongside her big brother Bill and many special cousins exploring the natural beauty of the Bruce Peninsula. She often told us what it was like growing up in wartime. She excelled in school and wanted to be a nurse or pharmacist.
Brilliant and curious, Dolores left for Toronto at 19 to study nursing at St. Michael’s Hospital, graduating in 1952. She often talked about the wonderful time she had in residence at nursing school and attended reunions with her classmates every five years into her 80s. She practiced at St. Michael’s in Toronto and St. Joseph’s in Hamilton. Dolores took enormous pride in being a nurse and kept up her credentials for decades after she stopped practicing. She was fascinated by medicine and took incredible care of family members through their own health challenges.
Dolores met Bob Nixon in 1953 and quickly fell in love. They married on October 22nd, 1955 and settled in Hamilton. Bob’s job as a salesman for Building Products took them all over eastern Canada, moving every couple of years. They lived in Montreal, London, Grimsby and Unionville and made friends everywhere they went. Mike, Terri and Tom were born along the way and Dolores loved everything about being a mom. She made everyone’s birthday cakes and Halloween costumes, led Girl Guide troops and was always there to talk through any problem. Particularly special to Dolores were the family’s years living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She enjoyed travelling back to the east coast several times, most recently in 2012.
In 1970 the Nixons moved for the last time to Oakville, where they settled in Bronte and remained until the present day. Shortly after that Mary Lou came along, and Dolores again threw herself into raising her as the other kids grew up. Dolores and Bob found a close-knit group of friends in Oakville including Daisy and Jim Ware, Rose and Dick Cunningham, Ethel and Jim Iker and Mary Garvey. They played cards, took many trips together, and threw parties wilder than any the kids had until the end. We know the gang is over the moon to pull out a chair at their card table for Dolores once again.
Dolores welcomed all of her children’s spouses with open arms. Granddaughters Tori and Maddi came along in the 1990s, and nobody could imagine a more devoted, loving Grammy than Dolores was, right to the end. So much of their childhoods were spent at “Grammy’s house”, baking cookies, learning board games, making crafts and playing in the garden. She was delighted over the last decade to have a new generation of grandkids join the family in Nathaniel, Eliana and Riley. She continued to be a regular babysitter and was always at school assemblies, sports events and birthday parties. Grammy always had a listening ear for whatever the grandkids were going through, from kindergarten to job troubles.
Dolores had the strongest faith of anyone the family knows. Her regular advice was to say a prayer, and that she would do the same for us. And we truly believe her unwavering faith got the family through many difficult times over the years. She volunteered for decades with the St. Dominic’s Parish CWL where she served as CWL President for several years, and made many friends in the church.
Dolores was active and bright throughout her life, which is part of what made her decline from dementia in the last few years so hard. She volunteered as a pregnancy counsellor, a Block Parent, and organizer for church bazaars. She loved knitting and needlepoint. She and Bob were bowling league champs at Hopedale Bowl. She loved card games and learned bridge in her 80s. She read voraciously. She never skipped an episode of “Days of Our Lives”. She loved nothing more than getting the whole family together for birthdays, Christmas and Easter dinners, anniversaries, Super Bowl/Grey Cup parties, and “just because”. She and Bob travelled throughout Canada, the US and Europe in retirement and were fascinated by everywhere they went, from London, Rome and Barcelona all the way to Moose Factory and Frankenmuth. In the 1980s, Bob and the kids built a cottage in Sauble Beach, where the entire family spent many happy summers and holidays together. Dolores loved being closer to her roots “up north” again.
The family would like to thank Dr. Douglas Milloy for decades of dedicated care, as well as OTMH’s cardiac and palliative care staff for their support over the last week.
Dolores, Mom, Grammy… we love you forever. You’re home now. When we see you again, we can’t wait to share endless hugs, stories and all sorts of desserts.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Dolores Marie Nixon July 11 1931 February 12 2022..
Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home
Death notice for the town of: Oakville, Province: Ontario