Louise Amyot McCauley passed away peacefully at home in Montreal on December 20, 2021 at the age of 92. She was surrounded by her loved ones who will continue to honour her legacy by living their lives to the fullest.

A true force of nature, she was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. She never lost her sense of awe and wonder and embraced all that life had to offer. Her life was imbued with a passion for music and singing.

Beloved wife of the late William James McCauley, she leaves behind her children who loved her dearly: Brian (Sandra Beaudet), Wayne (Laura Desjardins), Susan and Joyce (Ricardo Gonzalez); her cherished grandchildren Alison (Sébastien

Delorme), Cristin (Patrick Corriveau), Gillian, Stone (Katelin Kelly) and Benicio; and her adorable great-grandchildren Samuel, Ellie, William, Theodore, Gibson and Sterling. She is also survived by cousins, nieces, nephews and longtime friends whom she treasured.

Louise was predeceased by her parents S. Eugène Amyot and Juliette Gagnon; her siblings Georges (late Yolande Vermette), Pauline and Léopold (Andrée Jobin) and her in-laws Gerard (late Pauline Morais), Desmond (Joan Grant) and Paul (late Monique Lévesque).

Although she spent the last 11 years enriching our lives, she was always “en vacances” in Montreal and has now returned to “her” beautiful Quebec City where she will be buried beside “her” Bill at St. Patrick’s cemetery.

The commemorative mass and burial will take place in the spring of 2022.

A heartfelt thank you to Hélène Plouffe, the NOVA nurse who compassionately guided us through her end-of-life journey and gave us the gift of being able to care for her at home right until the end. Should you wish, donations may be made to NOVA Home Care, 310 Victoria Avenue, Suite 403, Westmount QC H3Z 2M9 or novasoinsadomicile.ca/waystogive.

For further information, contact the Coopérative funéraire des Deux Rives (Anse-Plateau) at 418-688-2411 or coopfuneraire2rives.com.

Ruth Ellin Simak (née Lapides) passed away on December 25, 2021, in San Diego, Calif. at the age of 96 after a short illness. Hers was a long life well lived. Ruth was wife to Martin (Marty) Simak (d. September 1999), mother to Herbert, Alan and Leonard and grandmother to Jake, Rachael, Josh and Ben.

Ruth was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1925. She earned her teaching credentials and taught at one of the toughest middle schools in New York, an excellent match for her no- nonsense approach to raising and teaching children.

Ruth met the love of her life, Marty, at a resort in Vermont, and they were married in 1953. She left her beloved New York and moved to Quebec City. Ruth took up the language challenge, became fluent in French and ended up using her teaching credentials to teach English to French-speaking executives.

Ruth was also elected president of the American Colony Society in Quebec City and ran several very successful charitable fundraisers, with donations going to various groups working with less fortunate people in the city.

In 1978, Ruth and Marty moved to San Diego. Ruth maintained her teaching credentials and taught at Correa Middle School. She also began a lifelong passion for Japanese flower arranging (ikebana). An elite bridge player, Ruth organized a weekly bridge club and played tournament bridge into her 90s. She pursued her fitness goals at the YMCA, loved to swim in the ocean with her golden retriever, Poco, and did aquafit at the condo pool.

Ruth will also be remembered for her love of baking. When you visited Ruth, her favourite question was “What can I get you to eat?” She loved to make her rum tortes, Kirsch cake, Hamantaschen and her signature Schmeten Torte to feed your sweet tooth.

If you knew Ruth and are reading this obituary, raise a glass and cheer L’Chaim! In lieu of flowers please make a donation to your charity of choice.