A very bright light has just gone out. It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, Kathleen Bettie McIsaac on January 15th, 2020, at the age of 72. She died peacefully, in the care of family, friends and medical staff at the Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC, following a courageous journey with cancer.
She is survived by her much-loved children, sons Peter, Jeremy and Ben (Paola), and daughter Jessica; by her seven cherished grandsons, Ethan, Callum, Lucas, Finlay, Gabriel, Luke and Noah; and by her beloved sisters Anne, Pauline (Bob), Susan and brother John (Veronique). She will be missed by her dear friends Catharine and Sandy, her nephews and nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces, and friends and colleagues on Thetis and Vancouver Island, across Canada and around the world.
Kathleen was born on November 26th, 1947, in Glenapp, Scotland, and lived in Edinburgh until immigrating to Vancouver in 1957. She met Brian White while attending UVIC and, after studying nursing at BCIT and practicing in London, Ontario, she had their first son, Peter (1971). She had their second son, Jeremy (1974), in Dawson Creek, BC, followed by Ben (1978) and daughter, Jessica (1979) after settling in Nanaimo, BC, where they operated a small family farm and Brian practiced medicine.
Kathleen modeled courage and academic excellence for her children when she returned to school, completing a B.A. Sociology and Law degree (LL.B) at UVic. She was an early adopter of alternative dispute resolution and served on a number of administrative justice tribunals. In 2003, her passion for elder care led her to establish Senior Transitions, a professional service supporting seniors to navigate their life transitions. Kathleen was also honoured to serve with the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat, overseeing safe and respectful hearings with survivors across Canada and in the US. She was profoundly moved by this work and spoke with awe of the strength and grace she witnessed.
Kathleen brought a rare light to the world. She was committed to caring for others and, whether at her kitchen table or in her hearing room, she afforded those whose lives she touched the gift of truly feeling seen. She was devoted to her family and friends, providing refuge to her children as they moved through their own life transitions. She was a guide to many, providing inspiration and comfort, poetic insight and grounded wisdom. She was good, patient, and kind. She had a quick wit and a raucous laugh, and she liked to have fun (is it happy hour yet?).
She had a precious bond with her sisters, with whom she enjoyed many adventures, including to Scotland, England, France, Mexico and Hawaii. She loved the water, happiest at the beach with her grandsons, or in her kayak, out camping with friends. She also enjoyed solitude; she was a visionary, and liked to ponder.
In her 60’s, Kathleen realized her long held vision of building a place nestled in nature for her kids, grandkids, sisters and friends to go, to rest and recharge. Her beautiful home and garden on Thetis Island, at the end of a long driveway lined with daffodils, was truly a special place. Healing and restorative. Peaceful, and safe.
Kathleen delighted in God and in what He provided for her. Her faith was her strength, her spirit her gift, her sweet soul a beauty unparalleled. She will be sorely missed.
“He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge….” Psalm 91:4
A Celebration of Life will be held in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens, 4665 Falaise Drive, Victoria, at 2:00pm on Saturday, February 8, 2020, with the Reverend Rob Szo officiating.
The family wish to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for Kathleen over the last year, especially Dr. Yee, Hospice’s Palliative Response Team and the nurses and doctors of the Lung Health Unit on the 8th Floor at Jubilee Hospital.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Kathleen’s memory to the BC Cancer Foundation https://bccancerfoundation.com/ or Victoria Hospice https://victoriahospice.org/.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Garden
www.mccallgardens.com
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Julia Burns & Louise Newland
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Evelyn Hamilton My sincere condolences to Kathleen’s family. I was fortunate to have Kathleen as a friend and companion on many wonderful outdoor adventures. She was a true friend who was always there for me, through good and difficult times. Kathleen was a kind and generous soul who rejoiced in the happiness of others. I will miss her very much.
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Suzanne sarioglu Our deepest condolences to all. I loved running into Kathleen here on Thetis. She had such grace and dignity. A loss for us all.
Suzanne and Gurk
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Helen and Steve Bird Thetis Island. So very sad to hear the news off Kathleen’s passing, holding thoughts for the family at this sad time.
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Kate Kittredge I’m sending a lot of love to Kathleen’s children, family and friends. Experiencing the strength, kindness, gentleness, smarts, just and wise-heart of Kathleen through her daughter, Jessica, has been a true gift in my life. Undoubtedly, her legacy will live on through her remarkable children and grandchildren, and all the hearts she has impacted throughout her impressive and interesting life. I wish I could have thanked you in person for your daughter, Kathleen. XO
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Carol Barlow In our life we have many roles to play. Kathleen was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, auntie and friend extraordinare. She was an illuminating gentle force. Kathleen brought her best game to life illuminating the darkness with her inner light that will continue to shine on in her children and grandchildren, Kathleen, you will be the brightest star in the heavens
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Joselyn Byrne Kathy was in law school with us.
She had an infectious laugh and was great fun. She was a great mom and cared for others. I recall her jogging around the chip trail at UVic. At our grad she wore a beautiful pink shimmery dress she borrowed from her sister. She had a blast dancing. She had a lovely Scottish holiday with family.
These are my memories of a great lady who was kind and showed grace through the tribulations of life. She was a special woman.
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Elizabeth Joslin To Kathleen’s family and friends,
I am so very sorry for your loss. Kathleen was a lady full of grace and light and it was a privilege to know her.
Her Thetis Island family will miss her warm smile and kind heart. Thank you for sharing her with us.
May you know God’s comfort and peace as you walk through this time of sadness.Elizabeth Joslin – Thetis Island BC
How saddened we are to hear of the sad loss of Kathleen. Please accept our depest condolences. Our mother Joan and Kathleen’s mother Bettie were sisters. Our families have lived thousands of miles apart since 1957 when the McIsaac’s emigrated to Canada. We have vague memories of visiting Auntie Bettie’s home in Scotland as children ( as under 5’s) with our parents Joan & Helmuth. We both have fond memories of Auntie Bettie when she visited us in the UK and have a collection of photos of Bettie, Kathleen and family which belonged to my mother Joan taken on her visit to BC about 40 years ago.
We kept in touch with Auntie Bettie via letter until we had a letter some years ago from Kathleen letting us know that Bettie had sadly passed away.
I came upon the sad news of Kathleen via the internet whilst looking at trips to Canada and the Rockies having put the McIsaac name into the search engine .
Kathleen was clearly a very special human being who will be greatly missed by you all. I wish that we had had the opportunity to meet . You are in our thoughts at this sad time. We send you our love.