OBITUARY

Margaret Taylor BERNIER (née Morrison) (April 2, 1925 – October 26, 2024)

Margaret passed away peacefully at CHSLD Saint Brigid’s Home on Saturday October 26, 2024, aged 99 and a half. Margaret was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, as well as auntie, cousin, in-law, godmother, and friend. She was predeceased by her husband Jean-Pierre, son Michel, and sister Elizabeth.

Margaret leaves behind her daughter Anne (Randy), son David, grandchildren Mathieu (Catherine), Leah (Carlin), Sheena (Johnathon), great-grandchildren Kaycee, Maysen, Carsen, Keylyn, Brynley, Edisen, Maëlle, Alden, Natalie, Maiya, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, a goddaughter, and close friends.

Margaret was born in England to her British mother, Beatrice, and her Irish father, Herbert. She was a survivor of World War II. Alongside her sister, the two siblings were evacuated from London to the countryside for several years. Nevertheless, she graduated from Birmingham University in 1946 with a B.Sc. (Physics), then worked as a Radiotherapy Medical Physicist at Leeds Hospital. 

Margaret came to Canada in 1952 on a bursary from the Canadian Cancer Society to complete a master’s degree in physics at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research was supervised by Dr. Harold E. Johns, who built the world’s first Cobalt Radiation Therapy treatment machine in 1951, a revolutionary device which would save millions of lives worldwide. Her thesis research project was Rotation Distributions using Cobalt 60.  She then worked at Regina Hospital prior to moving to Quebec City with her husband, whom she’d met while he was completing his PhD in Physics, under Dr. Johns as well. Margaret loved Quebec City and its culture. She enjoyed gardening, singing, knitting, reading, swimming, and traveling. She loved a daily cup of Earl Grey tea! 

Margaret was a Girl Guide/Brownie Leader for 35 years, as well as a camp advisor. She was a choir member in the Choeur du Vallon for 20 years. She knitted several hundred baby blankets donated to CHUL Centre Mère-Enfant and Jeffrey Hale through the Linus Project. Margaret cared deeply about early learning, biology, oncology, medicine, science, and the environment and was a volunteer extraordinaire, and a Women in Science role model. She believed one could achieve one’s goals through perseverance and courage i.e. with true grit. We will dearly miss her thoughtful, positive nature and her resilient British/Irish character; she will always remain in our hearts guiding our way forward.

The family wishes to thank the staff of Saint Brigid’s Home for their compassionate, interdisciplinary care. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who provided Margaret with loving company and care packages! Thanks to the staff of the Coopérative funéraire des Deux Rives, Centre funéraire du Plateau, and St. Patrick’s Church for funeral services and arrangements kindly provided.

The funeral will be held at St. Patrick’s Church, 1145 Ave de Salaberry, Quebec City, G1R 2V7 on Friday November 8, 2024. Condolences at 10:30 a.m., funeral mass at 11 a.m. Reception luncheon to follow at Centre funéraire du Plateau, 693, avenue Nérée-Tremblay, Québec (Ste-Foy), G1N 4R8. A memorial slide show will be displayed. Please inform us if you are in need of transportation from the church to the reception hall, 6 km away.

Burial will be at Cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont, 701 Ave Nérée-Tremblay, Québec City, G1N 4R8 following the funeral. You are invited to attend or have a coffee in the reception area until the reception commences.

In Margaret’s memory, donations to the Médecins Sans Frontieres or Covenant House  would be appreciated.