Hilda Marie Purves — North Sydney

With heartfelt sadness we regret to announce the passing of Hilda Purves of Shore Road, Sydney Mines, age 89, on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, at the Northside General Hospital. She departed this world peacefully surrounded by family as she would have wanted. A wonderful mother, grandmother and proxy-grandmother to many. Born in North Sydney on January 4, 1929, she was the daughter of the late Theodore and Amelia (Hamilton) Hatcher. Hilda worked for many years with Marine Atlantic in North Sydney as a ticket agent and in reservations, before retiring with over 24 years of service at the mandatory age of 65. Always wanting to be busy, Hilda would volunteer as a caregiver for many seniors, taking them to appointments or just keeping them company while in hospital. She was a terrific baker and was well known for her famous carrot cakes. She was a member of St. Matthew Wesley United Church in North Sydney and a former member of the UCW. Hilda is survived by her four children, Gordon Barrington (Alana) Purves, Bras d’Or, Susan Jane Purves and Linda Charlene (Norman) MacMillan, both of North Sydney, Glenda Virginia Purves, Toronto; three grandchildren, Christopher Stephen MacMillan, Grace Kelly and Charles “Chuck” Kelly; by her brother, Clayton Hatcher, Stratford, Ontario and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Charles Purves in 1974; four brothers, Gordon, Stanley, Ted, Dan and two sisters, Loretta Hill, Edith Giles. The family would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Bill MacDonald, staff of 4th Floor Northside General Hospital, Northside Homemakers and Senior Day staff at Harbourview Hospital in Sydney Mines for the care and compassion shown to Hilda. Also, special thanks to the MacMillan family who, knowing how much Hilda loved children, always treated her as their adopted grandmother. Visitation for Hilda will be 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 2, 2018 in the W.J. Dooley Funeral Home, 107 Pleasant St., North Sydney. A funeral service will take place 11 a.m. Saturday in the funeral home chapel with Rev. Stephen Mills officiating. Burial in Lakeside Cemetery at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Northside Harbourview Hospital Foundation or the Rotary Club of North Sydney. Online condolences may be sent to www.wjdooley.com.