HARDING
Grace Elizabeth Harding was born into the Taylor family in Sydney Mines, NS, on May 10th, 1935. She passed on to heaven peacefully on March 5th, 2026, at the Inverary Manor in Inverness, NS, with her precious son and the staff who loved and cared for her at her bedside. Grace was a wonderful mother, mother-in-law, grandmother and great-grandmother. A woman of faith, she was a member of the Margaree Valley Baptist Church. She enjoyed the fellowship of the people there but perhaps her greatest joy was being able to use her teaching degree there to teach pre-school children in the 1980s for several years. Each little one was so special to her and loved like family! Grace was predeceased by her parents, John and Lillian (Ingraham), and three siblings: Bob Taylor, Jean Shepherd, and Edith Cloke, as well as her dear husband of 63 years, Roy. She is survived by her loving son, Duane (Wanda), of BC; sisters Laura Taylor of Calgary, AB, and Nancy Carley (Bob) of The Pas, MB. She is also survived by the joys of her life, her granddaughters and great-grandchildren, Melissa (Austin, 10) of Wasaga Beach, ON; Keely (Maya, 22; Logan, 20; Ilienne, 17) of Airdrie, AB; and Denise (Dawsyn, 18) of Calgary, AB; as well as many treasured nieces and nephews. The family would like to express heartfelt gratitude to the staff and caregivers of Inverary Manor for her wonderful care and support they showed to Grace and her family and friends over her eight plus years as a resident, sometimes going above and beyond. Thank you so much! A celebration of life will be held this summer in Margaree.
MacMASTER
Marie Josephine (Beaton) MacMaster
November 3rd, 1937 to March 19th, 2026 (age 88)
Hughie Beaton and Anne (MacDougall) brought home their first child in 1937 to Little Judique. She was the eldest sibling to Pauline, Al, and John. We remember her showing us the remnants of the school in Hawthorne she attended before moving on to the big high school in Judique. From there she attended Mount Saint Bernard College (part of St. FX). Mom loved the Halifax of 1959 to 1964 when she stayed at the Sisters of Service at the corner of Barrington and Tobin and worked at the Department of Finance and Economics. Then it was off to work in downtown Boston on State Street for Holland Insurance. She loved living with her MacPherson cousins, and she loved folk music, making a trip by train to the coffee houses of Greenwich Village, New York, in the late 1960s. But it was to the sound of fiddle music in summertime back home that she found a suitor when she decided to leave adventure behind and make family life her focus. Never did we realize how blessed we were to have a mom with us all the time: the meals, the baked goods and the quiet guidance she provided. She loved animals and often gave a wayward cat some warm milk for its journey. Sometimes that cat would leave the open life on the road and decide to stay. We loved that. Dad was often out on the road somewhere after work to play the fiddle, especially in summertime. Mom would hold down the fort and take us to the fair, or up to the ballfield, to the beach, or a trip to Halifax on the train. She was incredibly devout, and her faith was the centrepiece of her life. She looked after the vestments and altar cloths for the church, and was actively engaged in the formation of youth within the church and at school. She was active in community organizations in Judique, all to support the greater good close to home. She lives on in her daughter Mary Elizabeth (Trevor MacInnis) and her grandchildren Sarah, Elizabeth, Annie, Mary Catherine, and Theresa; her son Allan (Lucie Kralovec) and her grandchildren Owen, Ben, Ivy Marie, Willow, and Lochlann. She was the last surviving member of her family, survived by nieces Carolyn, Sheila, Elaine, Lois, and nephews Melvin and the late Mark. She was predeceased by her husband Hugh Allan (Buddy) MacMaster. When asked if she was ever afraid to die alone, she responded that Saint Joseph would look after her when the time came. He did. She died on March 19th, the Feast of Saint Joseph. We would like to thank all who cared for Mom at the hospital in Inverness, and at Mary’s Court in Antigonish where she received such love and attention. We would also like to thank friends in the community who looked out for her, especially after Dad died. Resting in the community room of the Judique Volunteer Fire Department with visitation on March 24th, 2026 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 7:00-9:00 p.m. Funeral mass will be in St. Andrews Roman Catholic Church at 11:00 a.m., March 25th, 2026.