Obituary of Frances Josephine Martin

Frances Josephine Martin Glace Bay It is with heavy hearts, that we announce the passing of our mother, Frances Josephine Martin, age 87, on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, on the Palliative Care Unit at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Ma’s last few days were filled with family, music, singing, and laughter, all of which she truly loved. Ma loved music her entire life; you would always find her throughout the house singing. For the past 6 years, Ma resided at Victoria Haven Nursing Home in Glace Bay. Ma was such a wonderful, caring mother and grandmother, who would go out of her way for all family and friends. She loved to cook and bake and had a special place in her heart for her pets, in which she had many. Mom had many talents as well, such as; paper tole, tole painting, ceramics, and knitting; she loved the holidays and decorating the house, particularly Halloween; which was her favorite! She enjoyed playing darts with the North Street Dart League and looked forward to it every Friday night. Ma was employed for several years as a cake decorator with Phalen’s and Tartan Bakery; she also worked at Highland Fisheries until her retirement. Ma is survived by her sons Ron (late Debbie, 1st wife) (late MaryAnn, 2nd wife), Darrell (Liz), Kevin (Jane), Gerry (Linda), Derek (Tammy); daughters, Linda (late Calvin) Michalik, Debbie Hennessey, Brenda MacDonald (Mario), (late Joe), Kimberley, Cheryl (Todd) Sudworth; also surviving are her brothers Ronald (Leona) Payne, Ricky Payne, Brent Payne, John Bernard; sisters, Betty Brussard (late Steven McIntosh), Wendy Beresford as well as her extended family, David (Barb) Martin, Karen (late Harvey) Nichol. Ma had 31 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her husband Harold Martin; mother, Mildred Jones (Payne); father, Thomas 'Tiger' Payne; son, Harold Martin; brothers, Thomas Joseph Payne and Thomas Michael Payne; sister, Joan Fitzgerald; as well as her extended family; Betty (late George) Budden, Verna (late Bill) Durant, and Diane MacMillan. Cremation has taken place under the direction of T.J. Tracey Cremation and Burial Specialists, 370 Reserve St., Glace Bay,(902)849-4199. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Society or the Palliative Care Unit of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the family by visiting www.tjtracey.com. A Special thank you, to the staff at Victoria Haven Nursing Home, who treated Ma like they would their own mother. Also, a special thanks to Jane Rizzo for her kindness and support shown to our family during this difficult time. The family would also like to thank the physicians and nurses on the Palliative Care Unit of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital for taking such special care of our mother and treating her with such dignity and respect.