Obituary of Patricia Barbara Theriault

On March 17th, 2022, Patricia Barbara Theriault of Arichat passed away peacefully after a brief illness surrounded by family. Born in Yarmouth, she was the daughter of the late Russell and Lydia (Greene) Morton. Growing up in Lower Argyle, Patsy spent much of her time in the woods, setting snares and caging partridge, an accomplishment that earned her the nickname of the Bantam Hen. She loved spending time with her grandfather, Edgar Greene, helping him with his chores both on the land and on the water. They picked berries, stacked firewood, mended nets and she cherished her time with him. After grade 11, she entered the Yarmouth School of Nursing and became a Registered Nurse. She worked in Yarmouth, Halifax, Moncton, Sydney, Cheticamp and retired from St Martha’s in Antigonish in 1998. She was a natural caregiver and thoroughly enjoyed her patients in the Geriatric unit and her coworkers who quickly became great friends. She met her husband of 54 years, George Theriault, at Wagner’s Restaurant in Yarmouth and they were married on May 14, 1966. They had two children, Darren and Monica, whom she loved dearly. Their home on Northview Drive was a gathering place for the neighborhood friends and she was always happy to see them come to the door. Her grandchildren were an immense source of joy for her and she could not have been more proud of them. She loved watching Charlie’s hockey games and Leah’s volleyball games and seeing Millie grow, learn and play, dance and sing. Under the guidance of her mother, Lydia, Pat learned to quilt in 1980, a love that she shared with her sisters. She loved gifting her beautiful blankets and often donated them for local fundraisers. During the first year of the covid 19 pandemic, she produced a whopping 15 full sized quilts created with repurposed and thrifted materials. Pat also enjoyed her many flower gardens and was especially proud of her climber rose bushes that she grew along the rock wall and her honeysuckle vines that reminded her so much of her home in Argyle. She loved “going down home” drinking Nescafé around the kitchen table, reminiscing about ‘’raising hell’’ down at Bo’s followed by fits of laughter and their annual family picnic on Jones’s Island. A springtime tradition she looked so forward to each year was picking Mayflowers. Her keen eye could somehow spot them from a fast moving car. Her green thumb was also seen inside with her beautiful ferns and her knack with african violets. Pat also had a great love of the game of golf and played at the Antigonish Golf and Country Club and was Club Champion on more than one occasion at the Dundee Golf Club. She made wonderful friends on the course and was so looking forward to squeezing in one more season with them. Pat was a wonderful hostess and loved having people in for supper. The preparations were an all day affair and often went late into the evening sipping George’s blackberry wine. Her holiday turkey dinners were out of this world and each Christmas, George would say “This is the best one yet, Pat!” And, if you were gifted a coveted plum pudding you can be assured that you were very, very special to her. During her relatively short illness, Pat carried with her a sense of calm and acceptance saying ‘’Things will work out, either way.’’ and not to worry. She was so appreciative of the many people who reached out to her with beautiful cards and messages, meals, encouragement and love. A special thank you goes to the fantastic palliative care team at St. Martha’s, Dr. Laurie MacNeil, Dr. Saliba and Dr. Irving for their most compassionate care. Pat was a member of St. Anne’s Auxiliary, Friends of St. James, Isle Madame Historical Society and the New Horizons Seniors Club. She is survived by her husband George Raymond Theriault; daughter Monica (Ronald) LeBlanc, Havre Boucher; son Darren (Scarlett) Theriault, Nashville, Tennessee; grandchildren Millie, Leah and Charlie; brother Roland (Nancy) Morton, Argyle Sound; sisters Doris (Hugh) Lawrence, Wolfville, Bertha (Bruce) Christie, Barrington Passage, Francis MacDougall, Yarmouth, Nancy (Russell) D’Entremont, Argyle Head, Iris (Louis) Hilton, Argyle and Arlene (Randy) Corning, Eel Brook. She was predeceased by brothers Kenneth Morton, Toronto, Ivan Morton, Yarmouth and sister Judy Paton, Barrington. Cremation has taken place. There will be no visitation or funeral mass as per her request. A private graveside observance will take place at a later date in Our Lady of Assumption Parish Cemetery, Arichat. Memorial donations in memory of Pat can be made to the Cape Breton Cancer Centre in Sydney. Arrangements are entrusted to C. H. Boudreau Funeral Home, Arichat. To send words of comfort to the family or to light a candle in memory of Pat, please visit www.chboudreau.com