Obituary of Elva Roy

Katherine Elva (MacDonald) Roy grew up in MacLellans Mountain the daughter of the late Thomas and Ethel MacDonald. She was the middle child of five girls, the fifth generation to toil on the land her ancestors first cleared back in the early 1800’s.  She and her four sisters spent many days picking rocks from the fields, bringing the cows in from the upper pasture, packing potatoes for her father’s deliveries into town, and many other farm chores. The sisters walked three miles to school, twice a day, regardless of weather. Mom left home at  age 14 to go to high school in New Glasgow and graduated at age 16. She taught school for a year before moving to New Glasgow full time. Within a year she started her career at the Evening News.
 

Mom became a single parent when five of her seven children were still living at home. She was working full time, raising some challenging teenagers, and supporting her aging parents and her extended family. Yet she still managed to sneak home each day at lunchtime, get the foldable lounger out into the back yard and work on her tan for a few minutes. A guilty pleasure she maintained up to her last days.
 

It’s a little embarrassing to admit that, in a family that included five male sons, our mom was the best athlete. She was a champion bowler in early years and a champion curler later in life. She also golfed and downhill skied.
 

Mom had many passions. Her job at the Evening News. Her sports careers in bowling and curling. Travel. The Blue Jays. Her dogs. And her special haven, the Merb! She remained interested in world events into her advanced old age, always ready with a tough question on why something was happening in the Middle East, or why she should vote for this person over that one. Or why can’t the Royal Family just get along. You learned to make sure you were up on current affairs and sports scores before you went to visit her. Until her eyesight wouldn’t allow it anymore, she read furiously, always having two books checked out of the library.
 

In addition to her parents, mom was predeceased by her son Ken, her granddaughter, Margaux Sullivan, and her great grandson, Chase MacDonald and by her four sisters and brothers-in-law, Mildred (Wince) Kellock, Violet (Palmer) MacLellan, Mae (Don) Cameron and Isabel (Jim) Ross. She is survived by sons John, Terry, Richard and Rob (Liz Van den Eynden) and daughters Linda Fox and Katie (Sandy) MacDonald. She is also survived by her six grandchildren, Dylan, Thomas, Mike, Erin, Tara and Iain, nine great-grandchildren, and by her best pal, Hobbit.
 

Our family would like to thank mom’s team of caregivers who provided tender oversight for the past two years. Thank you, Martha, Tammy, Terri, Betty, Anne, Kim and Mary. Thank you to Dr. Eriakha, Dr. Jasrawi, Dr. MacCara and Dr. Horton and to the nursing staff on 2^nd floor and the Palliative Care unit of the Aberdeen Hospital for their compassionate care.

The family will receive visitors 1 - 1:50 p.m. Monday, March 16 in P. & K. MacDonald Funeral Home Chapel, New Glasgow from where funeral serivce will be held at 2 p.m. with Rev. Charles McPherson officiating. Reception to follow. Spring interment will be in MacLennans Mountain Cemetery.

If you were so inclined, mom’s favourite charities were the Maclennan’s Mountain Cemetery, and St. Johns Presbyterian Church, MacLellan’s Mountain.

Lovingly submitted by family.

For funeral service livestream, please click HERE