Now not just my half-birthday

On October 15, surrounded by her family, Helen Kohut Maloney passed peacefully from this life to the next. Born in Hafford, Saskatchewan in 1923, Helen has touched many lives as she moved to Vancouver, Toronto, and ultimately settled in Hamilton, where she raised her family, worked as an elementary school teacher, traveled widely, and played bridge avidly.

Left with a void not easily filled are her children Andrea Kelly, Michael and his wife Barbara, and Patrick and his wife Janetter; step-daughter Donna Loutitt; and grandchildren Heather and Julie Kelly, Scott and Shaun Maloney, Kyle Maloney and Tara Whelan. Welcoming her into the next life are Helen’s husband Patrick, her parents George and Doris Kohut, and her siblings Anne, Mary, Steve, Olga, George and Ernie. The family sincerely thanks the staff and volunteers at Villa Italia and Emmanuel House, who cared for Helen and her family during her last days.

All are welcome to join Helen’s family and friends as they mourn her passing and celebrate her life at P.X. Dermody Funeral Home, Hamilton, on Thursday, Oct 18. The funeral will be held on October 19 at Canadian Martyrs’ Catholic church, Main St West, followed by a reception onsite. Donations to Emmanuel House or the Juravinski Cancer Centre are welcome and appreciated.

I wrote the obituary about two weeks ago, but just filled in the dates today. Baba passed away last night at about quarter to eight. She WAS surrounded by her family: my mother, my sister, and my uncle Mike were there, holding her hands. After being unconscious and unresponsive for more than a day, Baba opened her eyes, looked around at all of them, tried to speak (Mom says "tried to say good-bye"), and then took her last breath. As peacefully as that. At first, they didn't know it was her last breath for awhile - until she didn't take another one. Mom joked to me later that Baba waited for them to return from dinner, so they wouldn't have to change the obituary: "surrounded by..."

My mother called me right away. We were preparing to head out to our ultimate game. We went anyway. Because really, in times like this, what better way to grieve/celebrate/express angst (etc) than to run around as hard as you can?

Then we came home and ate McPie's Apple Yum (a delicious baked apple concoction he invented for the occasion). And thought about how happy and relieved Baba must be.

Back in Hamilton, my family and the staff at Emmanuel House said some prayers around Baba. Then, my family (they'd been joined by my other uncle, his wife and my cousin) headed to the Corktown Pub, where they enjoyed pints and each ordered a single chicken wing. Uncle Paddy has a story of taking Baba out to lunch one time. When told that they were serving 10 cent wings, Baba promptly ordered: "A garden salad and one chicken wing, please." Classic.


*October 15 was also the birthday of my grandfather Terry - my Dad's dad. This date has now reached the status of "Official Family Holiday".

Edit: Here is the link to the actual obituary. My mother tweaked it a bit with more details. Interestingly, the obit entry immediately preceding Baba's in today's Spectator is for Heather Aileen Kelly.