Beverley Karen McDonald

BEVERLEY KAREN McDONALD (nee Blakeney) died Thursday July 11th surrounded by everything that brought her joy. With her was husband Curtis, her daughter Erin and son Blake. Just outside the open window were buzzing bees and fluttering monarch butterflies busy pollinating the flowers and vegetables in the gardens she had lovingly created.

Bev lived and died with courage and embraced each new stage of her life with curiosity, tenacity and compassion. She was the loving wife and partner to Curtis for 53 years and mom to Erin (James) and Blake (Jessica) and grandma to Molly, Sam, Alexander and Evelyn. In addition to her immediate family, she is survived by her much loved extended family of George and Janet McDonald (Halifax) and Beth and Art deCarle (Saskatoon), cousins and nieces and nephews from the Ramsey, Dauphinee, McDonald and deCarle families.

Born in Halifax to Olive and Cyril Blakeney, she attended Tower Road School and Queen Elizabeth High School and she graduated with the Gold Medal in Pharmacy at Dalhousie in 1969. She and Curtis embarked on a great adventure serving United Church Pastoral Charges in Northern Cape Breton, Yarmouth, Pictou, Valley-Greenfield-Kemptown and hospital chaplaincy in the IWK/Capital Health.

She firmly believed God calls the church to be a loving and inclusive community that should help build a better, kinder world. She worked many years in the United Church sponsoring and supporting others who wanted to resettle refugees and she brought a practical and loving approach to helping people as they faced daunting challenges seeking safety in Canada.

Her trip to Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre in Jerusalem in 2011 was transformative, deepening her commitment to fighting injustice in the world, always tending hope in small, but significant ways. She appreciated where others were coming from but was willing to say what she honestly thought and tried to be a bridge between perspectives.

She was an active member of Kairos Atlantic. She was presented the Mayann Francis Faith in Action Award Honourable Mention by the Atlantic School of Theology in 2018 which recognizes exceptional community outreach. She was very determined to understand those closest to her. She had an inquisitive mind and anything her children or grandchildren were interested in, she would read about extensively and explore all kinds of topics to learn more about them.

Bev firmly believed she had been given gifts that were not for her to keep, but to share. Week after week she drove her neighbours’ donations to the food bank, shared everything that came out of her garden, and gave her time to many friends and neighbours. Her laugh was infectious.

She will be deeply missed by her family and friends and neighbours alike.

Beverley and her family are grateful for the compassionate care she received from South Shore Regional Hospital Oncology Unit, the NS Cancer Centre, Blandford Chair Yoga, Zenith Physio Pilates, the VON and the Palliative Care Team. Bev often expressed how well she felt she was taken care of by all of her health care providers.

Her funeral will take place at the Blandford Community Centre at 30 Fire Hall Road, Blandford, on Saturday July 20th at 11 a.m., followed by a reception.

Donations please: to United Church of Canada Mission and Service Fund, The Primates World Relief and Development Fund, or a charity of your choice.