Obituary of Teresa MacIsaac
After a brief stay on the Palliative Care Unit at the Pasqua Hospital, Teresa passed away peacefully. She was surrounded by the love of her children: Thomas (Verna), Bernice Schneider, Rod, Linda and Cecilia MacIsaac Zerr. She was predeceased by the love of her life, Hugh Bernard MacIsaac, in 2007; as well as sons-in-laws, Michael Zerr (1995) and Robert (Bob) Schneider (2013).
At the age of 96, she felt she had outlived so many that she loved and cared for deeply: her parents, Margaret and Thomas Lorraine (Laurie) Cantalope; her sisters and their spouses: Blanche (Glenn) Botham, Lorraine (Thomas) Wise, Muriel (Ron) Ede, and Florence (Earl) O’Neill; in-laws: Bernard’s parents, Mary Frances and Hugh Daniel MacIsaac; his siblings and most spouses: Kathryn (Gale) Freeman, Edward MacIsaac, Ray (Alice) MacIsaac. She is survived by her very special sister-in-law, Freda MacIsaac.
She also felt very blessed to have 7 grandchildren: Andrea (Tim) Trenholm, Greg (Marian) Schneider, Kim (Julian) Schneider-Henry; Derek (Lynette) MacIsaac, Daniel (Darcie) MacIsaac; Jeffrey (Katie) Zerr, and Carly MacIsaac Zerr; 11 great grandchildren: Braelyn and Cole Trenholm; Michael and Lauren Schneider; Caleigh and Marnie Henry; Aubrey- Lynn, Derek Junior, and Rae-Lynn MacIsaac; and Jackson and Carter Zerr. She was fortunate to have met all her great grandchildren.
She is also survived by her many nieces and nephews and dear friends, particularly Lorraine Levere, who she often tried to keep in touch with by phone during Covid.
Teresa was born on a farm near Edenwold, Saskatchewan. She was the eldest of five girls and her dad’s helper with all the farm chores. They moved to Regina with her family primarily for schooling, as her mom had been a teacher and knew the importance of education. She graduated from the Regina Grey Nun’s Hospital as an RN with the Class of 1948.
October 2, 1948, she wasted no time in marrying her high school sweetheart, Hugh Bernard MacIsaac. Shortly thereafter they began raising their family of five children. Once the youngest was five, she began working part time at the University of Regina College Campus as an RN in their Health Services Department. Once the new University site opened, she transferred there and worked till she retired at the age of 60. She enjoyed her years of employment and the many friendships she had made during that time. Her family was always her first love and priority! But ultimately, she found time to stay involved with the RGNH Alumnae and was President for many years. Her dedication to her classmates and the School of Nursing continued till Covid cancelled the Reunions of 2020 and 2021. Being in Holy Cross Parish, she soon became President there too. She was an active member till she moved from that area. She made many lifelong friendships.
She had many interests and achievements throughout her life. There was not much that she could not do! Nor did she ever back away from a challenge or scenario that came her way.
Teresa was very talented with sewing and loved her Elna machine and serger. She was always experimenting with different fabrics. The MacIsaac kids often showed up at the annual GE Christmas Party in matching shirts and dresses! Teresa also was an enthusiastic knitter and loved to knit sweaters. She loved to experiment with various yarns and stitches. Because she was such a perfectionist, she was saddened when she lost her eyesight to macular degeneration and could no longer knit at the level she expected of herself.
Being from the farm, she also loved her garden and plants. Her roses, orchids, Martha Washingtons and begonia’s... especially if orange, made her happy! Although she could no longer manually do a lot, she easily could direct and supervise!
She loved to travel but mostly drove across all of Canada to visit her relatives. Several trips were made to Nanaimo and Courtney on Vancouver Island to see her sister Florence and family and her aunts Hazel and Bea, Edmonton almost annually to visit with the MacIsaac Clan, Calgary to see her sister Muriel and family, Minneapolis to visit sister Lorraine and family, Saskatoon to see sister Blanche and family, Ontario to visit the Schneider’s, Nova Scotia to track information on her ancestry. Teresa loved completing her family tree and sharing that with her family. Although budgets were tight, Teresa always initiated trips to her uncle’s farm or annual summer camping vacations. “Roughing it” was just a way of life and taught life skills that are now being enjoyed by grandkids and great grandkids.
Overall, Teresa lived a long, full, fun-loving life filled with many accomplishments and remarkable achievements. She always played the hand she was dealt but did love to win. A sincere thank you to the kind, caring staff of the Palliative Care Unit at the Pasqua Hospital. They allowed Teresa to pass in comfort, peace and with dignity. Their compassion and understanding were felt and greatly appreciated by her family,
At Teresa’s request there will not be a funeral. She will be cremated and family will celebrate her life when her ashes are placed with Bernard’s in their niche. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Palliative Care Unit at Pasqua Hospital via Hospitals of Regina Foundation (www.hrf.sk.ca) or a Charity of your choice.
