Passed away suddenly with family in Haliburton on Friday, August 23, 2019 at the age of 84 years. Beloved wife of John, and mother of David (Christine), Susanna (Victor), Rod (Janice) and Stephen (Nicole); cherished grandmother of Sean, Leah, and Allison; sister of Joan and Marie, she will be greatly missed. She was predeceased by brothers Graham and Douglas and sisters Dorothy and Ruth.
Grace and her husband John were attending a family reunion at the home of her daughter, Susanna, near Halliburton. One minute she was busily sweeping up after dinner, the next she was gone from an apparent heart attack. She lived a truly beautiful, joyous, gracious life and died quickly without distress, surrounded by the people she loved.
The daughter of Fred and Katherine Cox, Grace was born and raised on a farm near Inverness, in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec. She attended Lower Ireland School, graduated from MacDonald College, and began her teaching career at an elementary school in Kilmar, Quebec, a small mining town in the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains. There she met her husband John and the young couple moved to Montreal where she taught at Van Horne Elementary while he finished his engineering degree at McGill University.
In 1957 they moved back to Kilmar where they raised four children and became ‘Uncle John’ and ‘Auntie Grace’ to everyone else in that close-knit community. In 1985 John’s company transferred him to Pittsburgh and they relocated to Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania. They quickly made new friends through their local church, their golf club, and regular much-enjoyed bridge games.
From a very young age, Grace loved to sing, and often sang cheerfully to herself while going about her daily routines. She would fill the house with song and, as her mother once said, “When Gracie was home, you never felt alone.” She also adored a good story and was a fount of family anecdotes which she never tired of telling.
A strong, athletic woman who loved the outdoors, Grace enjoyed swimming, golfing and skiing. She was an expert baker, seamstress, and a tireless volunteer in her church and community. She was quick to fill any role needed from the childcare services offered at church, to bringing gifts of food and service to those she knew and loved.
Grace was a perpetually optimistic and kind person whose positive energy touched everyone who knew her.
A service to celebrate Grace’s life will be held at the WALL-CUSTANCE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 206 Norfolk St., Guelph on Friday, August 30, 2019 at 3 pm. Reception to follow in the Wall-Custance Family Reception Centre.
If you wish to remember Grace in a tangible way, donations to the Canadian Heart & Stroke Foundation would be appreciated.