Isabel Mackintosh

It is with great sadness that the family of ISABEL MACKINTOSH announces her passing away at the Chinook Regional Hospital on Friday September 9, 2011 at the age of 85 years.

Isabel is survived by her sons Alasdair (Deirdre) of Toronto and Ken (Jean) of Coaldale; and her beloved grandchildren Laura, Logan, Alison, Elizabeth, and Rachel. She is predeceased by her husband Duncan (1995), brother Iain MacLeod of Scotland (1932), sisters Rhoda Macleod of Perth, Scotland (1998) and Katherine Walsh of Toronto, ON (2008).

Isabel was born in Bunessan, Isle of Mull, Scotland on August 14, 1926. She received an RN from the Royal Infirmary in Glasgow in 1948 and completed midwifery studies in Edinburgh a few years later. She came to Winnipeg in 1955 on a working holiday with her friend, Marie Mackintosh. There she met Marie's brother, Duncan Mackintosh of Inverness, Scotland. They fell in love and were married soon after. They settled in Lethbridge in 1957. ""Mrs.Mac"" worked as an obstetrical nurse and nursing care coordinator at the Lethbridge Municipal Hospital from 1957-1987, assisting countless mothers and babies-a calling she loved and never grew tired of.

She was a devoted wife, mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother who always put the needs of her family before those of herself. She will be greatly missed.

A Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday September 14, 2011 at 2:00 PM at MARTIN BROTHERS RIVERIVEW CHAPEL, 610 4 Street South, Lethbridge AB. Internment will follow in Mountain View Cemetery.

In lieu of Flowers donations may be made to the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation, 960-19 Street South Lethbridge, AB, T1J 1W5.

EULOGY

At our mother's specific request, her funeral service follows the Presbyterian tradition and does not include a eulogy. As a family however we wished to record some of our memories and recollections of this very special person.

The hospitalization that so dramatically changed her life followed a fall in her kitchen ion June 10th, 2011, and resulted in a fractured humerus and greater trochanter. None of us realized then how significant this event would be, and how it led to a series of medical complications and unfortunately to her death on Sept. 9th, 2011.

She was born Isabella MacLeod in 1926 in the tiny village of Bunessan on the Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland, the eldest child of Alexander & Alice MacLeod. Her father wanted her to become a teacher, but Mum knew from very early on that she wanted to be a nurse. This was a calling for her, her passion- something that she loved for her entire lifetime. She left home at age 17, moving to Glasgow Scotland for her general nursing training which she completed in 1950. Her midwifery studies at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh Scotland were completed in 1952.

She came to Canada with her friend Marie Mackintosh in 1955. The two planned a working holiday for a year before returning to Scotland, and chose to come to Winnipeg where Marie's brother Duncan lived. Mum miscalculated here!....she and Duncan fell in love, and the plans to return to Scotland were cancelled and she stayed and married Duncan. They moved from Winnipeg to Taber and then to Lethbridge. Her only regret about this move to Western Canada was the separation from her beloved sisters Kate in Toronto and Rhoda in Scotland.

She absolutely LOVED her job as a nurse in Labour and Delivery at the Lethbridge Municipal Hospital, and felt that every birth was a miracle. She was never happier than when she had her hands on a newborn baby. This was a calling that she never grew tired of over her entire 35 year career.
Her two sons Alasdair and Ken were born in 1958 and 1959. She was a doting mother who when asked years later about her greatest achievement, responded ''my family''. We particularly remember her endless patience and readiness to listen and talk. She always appeared to have the time for us, although she probably didn't. Grandkids also have similar memories, and always felt endorsed, validated and not judged when she listened.

Cooking was a particular activity for which she had a great flare. Sunday dinners were an event, and her chocolate chip cookies were famous among the kids of the neighbourhood. Other popular favourites included her ''Mackintosh'' shortbread, apple pies, Nanaimo bars, and fudge.
The family had a series of campers and spent many happy weekends in Waterton Park and Glacier National Park. She sent the boys off to hike or fish after making them a hearty breakfast, then loved to put up her feet, soak up the sun, and enjoy a good book. She read a lot, and particularly loved poetry. She always loved a good laugh and a good joke.

Her ''no nonsense'' Presbyterian upbringing gave her a scholarly knowledge of the Bible, and she read it daily all her life. She could quote at length from the King James version.

Later in life Isabel looked after her husband Duncan at home, nursing and caring for him until his death from cancer in 1995. A few years later, she did the same thing in Scotland for her sister Rhoda.

She embraced her daughters-in-law Jean and Deirdre, and grew to love them as much as her sons. Later she really enjoyed her role as a devoted grandmother, and became 'Nan' to Laura 1986, Logan 1988, Alison 1991, Elizabeth 1992, and Rachel 1996. This was perhaps the happiest time of her life.

She truly was an exceptional grandmother. The kids fondly remember all the special 'Nan' things and were spoiled rotten behind their parents' backs: the endless Christmas and birthday gifts all wrapped in colourful paper and ribbon, her candies and sweet treats, her wonderful perfume, and her many chiming clocks.

She was a great person, and all in the family feel such great sorrow and loss at her passing.

She will be greatly missed.

MEMORIES

The tide recedes

but leaves behind

bright seashells on the sand.

The sun goes down, but gentle warmth

still lingers on the land.

The music stops

and yet it echoes on in sweet refrains.

For everything that passes,

Something beautiful remains.

Author unknown