Obituary of Gabrielle Anne MacDonald

MACDONALD, Gabrielle Anne passed away peacefully on May 16 surrounded by her family. She was born in 1942 in New Waterford to the late Angus and Frances MacKenzie. She is survived by her husband, R. Basil; her children, Ronald (Bongsun), Mary-Anne (Michael), Jennifer (Sister Frances Marie), Heather (Andrew), and Bonnie-Jeanne (Ahmad); 11 grandchildren, Ruis, Maria, Anna, Rose, Lillian, David, Alexander, Gabriella, Hamza, Mariam and Zakareeah; siblings John Angus, Mary Catherine, Theresa, Helen, Jerome, Gregory, Peter, Malcolm, Michael, Rose, Ann and Thomas. Gabrielle graduated from Mount Carmel School in New Waterford. She entered Our Lady’s Missionaries in Toronto where she completed her RN at Saint Joseph’s School of Nursing, and spent three years in Fortaleza, Brazil. Gabrielle met Basil in 1968 and they were married at Mount Carmel Church in New Waterford. She worked at the old Halifax Infirmary, Veterans Camphill Hospital, Victoria General and the QEII hospitals as a nurse for 40 years. She was an active member of the church and in the community serving on the Catholic Women’s League, Parish Council, and as a lector and reader. Gabrielle and Basil enjoyed skiing, hiking and travelling. Gaby enjoyed yoga, Qigong, listening to the bagpipes, and all things Scottish. Her greatest joy was caring for her children and grandchildren, which she continued to do until the very end. Above all, Gaby was known as an extraordinarily capable and hardworking individual who performed endless acts of kindness and provided a bedrock of support and love for all those around her. Family and friends will dearly miss Gaby. We are very grateful for the compassionate care from Hospice Halifax. The celebration of life will be held with mass at St. Michael’s Church of Stella Maris Parish, 14 St Michaels Ave., Halifax, on May 23 at 11 a.m. with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations can kindly be made to Hospice Halifax.