Maria Gaynor Obituary, Death – Maria Alexandra Gaynor, 18, died of meningitis B on December 13, 2022, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Loretta and Michael’s adored daughter (nee MacDonald). Kieran, Erin, and Jenna were smitten with their sister. Survived by her loving grandparents Francis and Evelyn MacDonald, Nova Scotia, uncles Jack (Beth), Mike (Tracey), aunts Marilyn (Ron), Kelly (Ian), Jeannie and Kathleen (Donnie), and her beloved cousins Kelly Jo, Jasmine, Trevor, Connor, Aevan, Cian, Malcolm, Sean, Blaine, Maggie, John Hugh, Emily, Keegan, Thomas, Corinne, Rachel, Brennin, Callum, Maddy, and Jesse. There is also extended family in Ottawa.
His grandparents were Larry and Aleksandra Gaynor. As we all remarked, our dear soul Maria was the most creative person we knew, a free spirit from another era. She had a wide range of interests, from “amazing old things,” as her siblings would say, to our two dogs and cat (it was her tenacity that convinced me to get our little Ivy). Our one-of-a-kind beautiful child was intelligent, humorous, artistic, and imaginative; she liked her brief time at Dalhousie University, where she was surrounded by amazing new close friends, and discovered a new interest in rock climbing and jogging in Halifax’s Point Pleasant Park.
She enjoyed going to different coffee shops and spending time there with her sisters and friends. She enjoyed new experiences and enjoying life to the fullest, whether it was skateboarding, 70’s music, 1000 piece puzzles, knitting, or being the best beach glass finder we knew. She also enjoyed her plants, cupcakes, nutritious vegetarian meals, and spending time in Kemptville with her close friends. Above everything things, she treasured her family. She preferred to make her own path; she was a leader, not a follower. She will be sadly missed, but she will never be forgotten. Her incredible spirit will carry on in everyone of us for the rest of our lives. Every day, Maria will stroll alongside us, always nearby.
Friends may pay their respects in the Kemptville Chapel of Hulse, Playfair & McGarry, 805 Prescott Street, on Wednesday, December 21 from 1-3 and 5-8 pm. A funeral mass will be celebrated at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 503 Clothier Street West, Kemptville, on Thursday, December 22nd, at 11:30 a.m. To view the service virtually, please go to the following website: https://www.youtube.com/c/HolyCrossNG. Following the service, there will be a reception from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the North Grenville Municipal Centre, 285 County Road 44, Kemptville. Anyone who wishes to make a donation in Maria’s memory to the IWK Foundation may do so.