Anne Hanrahan

Anne left this world quietly, leaving behind a gentle but indelible mark on everyone she loved.

Never the life of the party, Anne played the supporting role. Her life was always about others.

The youngest of four children, Anne was predeceased by her parents, Murdoch and Annie, as well as her brothers, George and Ernest, and her beloved sister, Flora. Born and raised on a small farm on Cape Breton Island, Anne learned the values of hard work, patience and compassion early in life — traits that would come to define her.

It was no surprise that Anne chose to become a nurse. After teaching in a one room school house for 2 years, she trained at the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax. There she met her closest life long friends. Throughout her nursing career she cared for her patients with the same grace and quiet strength that she brought to everything she did. As those she knew will remember, she was one of those rare women who looked absolutely radiant in a white nurse’s uniform.

Anne was a devoted and loving companion for 61 years to her husband, George, who predeceased her in 2014. George was adventurous and always searching for more out of life; while Anne was more grounded and content to stay in one place, but she followed him faithfully across the world — moving 18 times. Yet she never complained about the packing, the moving, the new schools, the new jobs, or the starting over. She carried her burdens quietly.

A mother to seven children, Anne had unwavering patience and loved each of us unconditionally. Her tolerance and understanding, combined with her pragmatism and perseverance, meant that no matter what happened, we always knew she was there to support us. She was slow to anger, quick to forgive, and felt our pain as her own. She allowed her children to be “who they are”, never pushing us except to do our best — because, as she often said, “that’s all you can do”.

She is survived by her seven children: Patrick (Dorothy), Sean (Rebecca), Erin (Ian), Sheila (Randy), Terence (Wendy), Siobhan (Michael), and Tara (Steve); fourteen grandchildren: Jennifer (Corey), Liam, Brennagh, Seamus, Sophie, Georgia, Finnagh, Enya, Caelan, Capri, Shea, Tristan, Shayna, and Haylie; and one great-grandchild, Luke. She is also survived by her nieces and nephews in Nova Scotia: Jim, Daryl, Debbie, Merlene, and Alison.

Anne didn’t belong to any organizations or clubs and never won any awards, yet she was the most accomplished person I have ever known. She could milk a cow, fix a leaky pipe, and mend a broken heart. She was wise, brave, and endlessly capable — and, she always smelled like perfume.

Perhaps most importantly, Anne was humble. She would be surprised to know that she leaves behind a lasting legacy of the values she exemplified in the lives of the people she loved. She believed that most problems in life are “small stuff,” and that pain, no matter how great, eventually passes. It doesn’t feel that way right now…. We will miss you so much Mom.

There will be no service or celebration of life in Vancouver. It was Anne’s wish to be interred next to George in Halifax, so that they could rest together at “home”.