Obituary of Colleen Marie Teasdale

On April 7, 2023, Colleen Marie Teasdale said goodbye for now to her beloved family after a short but courageous battle with lymphoma.

For the past three months, she finally let others take care of her the way she’s always cared for them.

Born June 30, 1961 to Frank and Marie MacDonald, Colleen grew up in McArras Brook in a large family, where her siblings and cousins were also her best friends. When chores were done, days were spent outdoors, often on the beaches close by.

After graduating from the Cosmetology Program at the Stellarton Vocational School in 1982, Colleen spent more than a decade practicing as a professional hairdresser. She then devoted the rest of her life to managing a business alongside her husband and caring for her family.

After they got married in 1986, she and Harold built a house and started their family in St. Andrews.

Colleen led her family with a soft but steady hand. She was incredibly proud of her kids and all of their accomplishments, and never missed an opportunity to share and celebrate their successes. At the same time, she was humble and graceful about her own many talents. She could take on and master any DIY project,  never needed tape to expertly paint a room, and seemed to make every recipe taste better than everyone else who tried.

For decades, Colleen and Harold’s home has been a gathering place for family, friends and neighbours - whether they were invited or not. Her open door, attentive ears and ability to make the most delicious food appear on the table without a moment’s notice made it easy for anyone to drop in and feel at home when they needed a friend.

But of all the company she cherished, every moment she spent with her family was her favourite. Whether it was laughing around the dinner table, summers camping at Whiddens, or a visit out to the shore, she always found joy in the simple things they did together.

Over the years, they enjoyed many family vacations to places like Mexico, Costa Rica, and Maui. Of all the wonderful memories her travels gave her, it was the mishaps and misadventures that kept her laughing in the years that followed. Colleen enjoyed the many years she spent living in Fort McMurray but cherished one year in particular when all of her children moved into their home away from home (as we called it, 410 Athabasca). It was a year of endless laughter, backyard parties on beautiful northern summer nights and more shenanigans than she could roll her eyes at.

Colleen was outwardly poised and secretly silly. Never wanting to be the centre of attention, in a boisterous room she could most often be found making a joke off to the side or quietly giggling to herself until tears streamed down her face. Uncontrollable bouts of laughter made it harder for her to breathe than the cancer ever could.

She will be dearly missed by all those who sought the comfort and warmth of her company.

She is survived and forever loved by her husband, Harold, daughters Alicia (Greg Oicle), Miranda (Logan Hilliard), son, Bradley, sisters, Anne (Jim) Clarke, Hamilton, ON; Marion (John) MacEachern, McArras Brook; Betty MacDonald, Antigonish; brothers, Donnie, North Grant; Angus (Jean), McArras Brook; Stuart (Elaine), Lismore; Lawrence (Shelly), Barney’s River; her twin brother Carl (Sheila), McArras Brook; many in-laws, and beloved nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her daughter, Melissa, dear mother, Marie, father, Frank, brother, Kevin, sister-in-law Marlene, brother-in-law Sterling, father-in-law Sterling, and mother-in-law Edna.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, April 12th from 2-4pm and 6-8pm at MacIsaac Funeral Home, 61 Pleasant St., Antigonish. Funeral Mass will be held Thursday, April 13th at 11:00am in St. Andrews Church, St Andrews, burial in the parish cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or to the QEII Handmade Blanket Program that kept her comfortable in her final days.

In Colleen’s memory, pay a long visit to someone who makes you feel at home.www.MacIsaacs.ca