Virtual Service Attendees:

To attend the funeral service online click here: Nancy MacCharles Zoom Link

Obituary

Born on July 7, 1941 in Trafalgar Township (Oakville) and passed away peacefully on August 9, 2021 at the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital after a courageous battle with breast cancer.  Nancy was the eldest child of Bill and Donna Hill (Joyce) of Bronte.  Growing up in Bronte she developed a love of family, animals and the Lake.

In 1959, Nancy married Donald MacCharles (1935-1999) and they initially lived in Toronto, but they moved to Bronte in 1965 so Don could enroll full-time in post-secondary studies.  Tragedy struck in March of 1974 with the loss her daughter Jane (1962-1974).  After Jane's death and looking for a fresh start, the family moved to Saint John, New Brunswick in 1976 where Don was a professor of economics at the University of New Brunswick.  In the early 1970s prior to the move to New Brunswick, Nancy joined the Religious Society of Friends ("Quakers") in Hamilton and – later - was active in the Friends meeting in New Brunswick where she made many lifelong friends.

For the 45 years she lived in New Brunswick, Nancy was always an active member of the community and volunteered extensively.  In particular - in the early 1980s - Nancy started and ran a bereaved parent group in Saint John as she believed there was very limited support in the community for bereaved parents at that time (she made many lifelong friends in this work).  While raising her children, and consistent with Don and Nancy's focus on achieving higher education, Nancy completed - through part-time studies - a degree in social work with high distinction from Dalhousie University in Halifax in 1986.  After completing her degree, she began a 13-year career in social work for the Province of New Brunswick in child protection and seniors' programs.  In her later years, she enjoyed the company of her many close friends and the summers with her children and grandchildren while continuing to give generously of her time in many volunteer capacities in the Saint John area.

After her new diagnosis of cancer in late 2020 and with COVID restrictions in New Brunswick making travel nearly impossible, Nancy made the difficult decision to leave New Brunswick and return to Ontario to be closer to her family.  It is after her return to Ontario where she was able to spend her final months closer to her children and her sister Gail.  She is survived by her three sisters (Gail, Linda and Susan), four sons (Don, John, Alan and Mark), seven grandchildren (Greg, Jordan, William, Matthew, Evan, Eric and Laura) and two great grandchildren (Henry and Riley).

Consistent with her wishes, she will be cremated and buried with her predeceased husband and daughter in Oakville.

Visitation will be held at the Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville between 7:00 and 9:00 pm on Wednesday, August 18 and the funeral will be held at 10AM EST (11AM Atlantic) on Thursday, August 19 at Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home in Oakville and at the Villa Madonna in Rothesay, New Brunswick.  For those unable to attend in person, there will be a virtual service link located at www.koprivataylor.com