Obituaries

GLENNA THERESA (COUGHLIN) MACDONALD

Glenna Theresa (Coughlin) MacDonald was a much-loved and caring wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, auntie and friend. Glenna passed away on October 12, 2021, in Winnipeg Manitoba at the age of 92 with her loving daughters at her side.

She was married to James Kerr MacDonald (Jim) for 69 years, who predeceased her on October 9, 2021.

Glenna leaves behind five daughters; Marlyn (Tom), Maureen (Bill), Kathleen (Hyman), Laurel (David) and Louise. She was blessed with twelve grandchildren; Eliza (Will), Thomas, Imogen (Jean-Luc); Erin (Stuart), Shauna (Adam); Andrew (Miriam), Marie-Helene (Alexandre), Erik (Sophie); Stephanie (Christopher), Mallory (Will), John (Stephanie); Brandon; and ten great-grandchildren she adored. Glenna let them know how proud she was of all of them, and how she loved them dearly.

Glenna was born February 1, 1929 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to Emma Mildred (Hanrahan) and James Philip Coughlin. She is survived by her sister Kitty (Kukko), and predeceased by brother Jerry (Coughlin), sisters Mary Clare (Kennedy) and Jean (Whalen). Glenna was Auntie Glenna to many beloved nieces and nephews and to great-nieces and great-nephews as well.

Glenna graduated from Hillcrest High School in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She worked in offices in Thunder Bay and then Terrace Bay where she met and married Jim. Their mutual love of dancing brought them together and they enjoyed dancing throughout their long marriage. They also took up curling and golfing with enthusiasm. Their teamwork was most evident in the many camping trips they took across Canada with five little girls!

Glenna was always very creative and was an excellent seamstress and cook. She loved to bake, and her homemade bread, pies, cinnamon buns and cakes were infamous and much sought-after.

She began oil painting in Terrace Bay when her children were young. Very prolific, she continued to create beautiful paintings and watercolours well into her 90’s, many of which hang in the homes of family. She was also a keen card player, and especially loved bridge and cribbage.

Glenna and Jim enjoyed travelling. They had extensive visits with their daughters and grandchildren where they lived across Canada and overseas. Those visits were very important to them and enjoyed by all. In between visits, Glenna sent care packages, which always included home-made chocolate chip cookies, a cause for great celebration amongst the recipients, adults and children alike.

Glenna had a strong sense of social justice, which she passed on to all her children. She gave generously to her church and many charities every year. She volunteered throughout her life to help people in need. With her warm and bubbly personality, Glenna made friends easily and had many life-long friends who were very important to her. Her friends and her family attest that she was politically engaged, well-informed, very kind-hearted and had a great sense of humour!

Our mother, sister, grandmother, great grandmother, and auntie will be remembered forever in our hearts.

A funeral Mass will be held at Mary Mother of the Church on November 27, 11:00 am, 85 Kirkbridge Drive, Fort Richmond, Winnipeg, Manitoba. The funeral will be available online for those who cannot attend in person. Please stay informed of current Covid restrictions at the time of the funeral, as numbers may be limited. Place of internment is the Fort Garry Roman Catholic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, by email, connect@cancer.ca or by mail to 55 St Clair Avenue, West, Suite 500 Toronto, Ont. M4V 2Y7

Hello friends and family – We have the Zoom link for you to attend the Mass and Celebration of Life for Jim and Glenna MacDonald:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aXPKDtd4TF6SCcfOLbTrbw 

This link will lead you to a registration page where you will enter your name and email address.

I have attached a screenshot of what the registration page looks like. You will also find the times for each event there. Mass is at 10:45. Celebration of Life begins at 12:30. The Eulogies will be delivered at 10:45. The Celebration of Life is a casual gathering but will include some tributes to Jim and Glenna. If you would like to submit a short memory or tribute to be read at that event, please send it to Laurel Aitken (laurelaitken2025@gmail.com).

We look forward to celebrating the lives of our wonderful parents with you on November 27th.

The MacDonald daughters – Marlyn, Maureen, Kathleen, Laurel, and Louise