Obituary of Nadine Elizabeth Gareau

The world is a little less bright after the passing of Nadine. She was the loving and devoted wife of Justice Edward Gareau and leaves behind her heartbroken daughters Lauren, Alison and Maggie Gareau. Nadine adored her grandchildren Brady and Owen Henderson and her angel grandson Charlie Henderson, with whom she is now happily reunited. Nadine was also very fond of her son-in-law Jamie Henderson.

Nadine is survived by her brother, Michael Cvetanovic and his wife Valerie, and by her sister Angela Lynch and her husband Terry. Nadine was the fun and loving “Auntie Dine” of Conor (Kathleen), Brittany (Eric), Kiernan (Sam) and Tyler Lynch. Predeceased by her parents Dr. R. J. Cvetanovic and Jean Cvetanovic (MacDonald).

Originally from Ottawa, Nadine attended Elmwood School during her elementary and secondary years. She was proud to be one of the Elmwood “old girls” and cherished her lifelong friendships that she made there. After Elmwood, Nadine earned an undergraduate degree from St. Francis Xavier University and a law degree at the University of New Brunswick.

She was passionate about the well-being of children and dedicated her professional career to child protection, acting as legal counsel to the Children’s Aid Society of Algoma for many years. She would occasionally come across children that she had helped in that role which gave her a tremendous amount of pride. Nadine was also passionate about dogs, and often joked that she got along better with dogs than she did with humans. She will be missed by her Golden Retriever Justie who was her inseparable companion.

Although she was raised in Ottawa, Nadine’s heart belonged to Nova Scotia and particularly at Malignant Cove where she spent her summers growing up surrounded by her extended family. She developed many close relationships at the Cove, especially with the Chisholm siblings who became like family to her.

Nadine lived her life with intelligence, elegance, and without regret. She traveled the world with her family, and enjoyed culture, visiting churches, museums, and art galleries. She was an incredible chef, a long-distance runner, a skier, a beach bum, and an avid and accomplished gardener. Nadine enjoyed a cold glass of beer as much as a fine glass of wine. She added colour to the palette of life of all who were lucky enough to cross her path and she will be profoundly missed by those who knew her and loved her.

Her family would like to thank all who assisted her in her struggle with early onset dementia. Many thanks to the caregivers with Premier Home Health Care and Bayshore Home Health who compassionately assisted Nadine with her needs while she remained at home. A special thank you to Valerie, who cared for Nadine from the beginning to the end. A thank you to the exceptional staff at ARCH who cared for Nadine with kindness and dignity when she required hospice care. We would also like to thank Dr. Alan McLean, who cared for Nadine for many years, Dr. Katriina Hopper, who cared for Nadine throughout her journey with dementia, and Dr. Nicole Apostle who guided Nadine in her final journey home.

A celebration of Nadine’s extraordinary life will be held at a later date. Memorial donations to the Algoma Residential Community Hospice (ARCH) would be greatly appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to Northwood Funeral Home Cremation and Reception Centre (942 Great Northern Rd, 705-945-7758). www.northwoodfuneral.com

“And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance”
 – Kahlil Gibran