Margaret Mary Hay (Beswick)

Peacefully early Sunday morning Margaret passed away. She was a premature baby born during the depression in Birmingham, England, only weighing 2 pounds at birth. Doctors told her parents to make funeral arrangements but Margaret defied the odds living until her 92^nd birthday.

Upon coming to Canada her family lived in Ajax, Ontario, then later moved to Whitby, Ontario. It was in Whitby that Margaret met her best friend and true soulmate Bruce, a dashing young intern from Kingston, Ontario at the Whitby Psychiatric Hospital where she worked as a switchboard operator and receptionist. Margaret was smitten with Bruce and he with her. They were married the next year.

Margaret was predeceased by her mother Gladys when she was 10, her father Frank and step mother Enid. She was also predeceased by her daughter Valerie, her sister Shirley, and her brother-in-law George. She leaves behind her husband of 65 years Bruce, her children Cheryl (Kim), Frank (Alison) and her step brother John (Lori). Margaret is also survived by her grandchildren Malcom (Renée), Chelsea, Ashley (Hunter) and Liam, as well as her great-grandchildren Parker, Suzie, Amelia, Sadie and Beau. She is survived by sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews and cousins. She dearly loved them all.

Margaret also loved her volunteer work. She started her 44 years of volunteering at View Royal Elementary School and the old Saint Joseph’s Hospital. She then went to the Victoria General Hospital where she volunteered in the Pediatric Surgical Daycare, the Scoliosis Clinic, the Cystic Fibrosis Clinic and at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in the Cardiac ward preparing information packages for patients with Bruce after his retirement. They could also be seen together at the Victoria General Hospital as way finders/ambassadors helping people to find their way around. Her love of children and compassion for people could be seen throughout her life.

Thank you to all the staff at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital who cared for Margaret this time, especially Heaven, Martha, Florence, Emma and Hailey. Thank you to Dr. Warder for his great care of Margaret’s eyes. Thank you to Dr. Yip for your great care plan for Margaret’s diabetic foot. Without it she would have probably lost her foot. A very special thank you to Emily, Jennifer, Nick, Alex, Renée, Tom, Lisa, Layla, and anyone else I may have missed at the Saanich Peninsula CRD Clinic for taking such exceptional care of Margaret’s foot. You followed the plan to a T. Through your diligence her foot had almost totally healed. You became part of our family and Margaret loved coming to see you! Our final thank you goes to Dr. Nicole Pewarchuk for your exceptional care of Margaret. She thought of you not just as her doctor but as her trusted friend and was thrilled when you had children. Margaret loved hearing how the children were doing and seeing Rex on visits to the office! She always commented on how well-behaved Rex was.

As Margaret and Bruce have done everything together since they met it was Margaret’s wish to have a joint “Celebration of Their Lives” on the passing of her beloved best friend, husband and soulmate, Bruce. But because Margaret loved having a reason to dance and celebrate, especially with friends and family, we are going to carry out her wishes later and have a service now as well.

There will be a service conducted by Reverend Alanna Menu at Centennial United Church, 612 David Street, at 2:00 pm, on Saturday, July 8, 2023, followed by a reception. Parking is available on David Street or in the parking lot on Gorge Road directly across from the church entrance. The service will also be live streamed.

Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com