Julia Margaret “Dula” Mosley

January 23, 1935 - April 18, 2026

“Dula” Mosley, 91, passed away peacefully at the Cape Breton Regional hospital following a short illness.

Born in Dominion, NS to the late Malcolm and Lorna (Boutilier) MacPherson, mom graduated from Morrison High in Glace Bay and entered the nursing program at the Glace Bay General Hospital. Following her graduation in 1955, she travelled to the United States to begin her nursing career, first in Brooklyn, New York and later in East Los Angeles, California. Along with her friend Marie Cavanaugh, she had many adventures during her travels, the highlight of which was seeing Frank Sinatra perform at the famous Copacabana nightclub in Manhattan.

When she returned to Cape Breton, she continued her nursing career at the City Hospital in Sydney. Following her marriage in 1967, Dula took some time away from nursing to be a stay-at-home mom for her children. Once all three were in school, she returned to work on a part-time/relief basis, first at the General Hospital in Glace Bay, later with Devco, and finishing her career as a teacher’s assistant working with developmentally disabled children for the Cape Breton District School Board.

Mom enjoyed knitting and crocheting, and took classes in ceramics, rug hooking, and weaving. She crocheted hundreds of doilies, and her family are all still wearing her loom-woven scarves. Family tree research was also one of Dula’s hobbies, and she spent many hours poring through archives at the Beaton Institute.

Mom treasured any time spent with her grandchildren, helping them with schoolwork and baking biscuits, cookies or cinnamon rolls. She also loved her little dogs, first Scrappy and later Kruger.

Dula was predeceased by her parents, sister Lillian (Robert) MacIsaac, brothers Ronald (Erna) MacPherson, Malcolm MacPherson, and infant brother Sanford.

She is survived by her husband of 59 years Terrence MacDonald “Terry” Mosley, and their children James, Lorna (Wayne Jenkins), and Lesley; grandchildren Jessica Hall, Jean (Colin) Carabin, Josh Burke, and Aidan Burke; brother-in-law Doug (Priscilla) Mosley, sister-in-law Jane (Fraser) MacGregor, sister-in-law Erna MacPherson, and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Cove Guest Home Creative Care Unit for their wonderful care of mom the last few years. Mom had been a resident there since 2023, while she lived with the end stages of dementia.

“Dementia does not arrive like a sudden flood. It arrives like a tide that keeps coming in, and each time it pulls back, something that was there before is simply gone, and you learn not to look for it.”

Funeral arrangements are under the care and compassion of T.J. Tracey Cremation and Burial Specialists, 370 Reserve St., Glace Bay, N.S. (902-849-4199). A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, May 1, 2026, at 11 a.m., in Tracey’s Funeral Home, Glace Bay.

To share words of comfort with Julia’s family, please visit our website at www.tjtracey.com.