Margaret Anne Culina
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Margaret Anne Culina (nee Hunt) on January 4, 2023, at Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario, with family by her side. Margaret leaves behind her beloved husband of 56 years, Walter Joseph Culina, originally of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, children Melanie Culina (Bryce McBride) of Kanata, Ontario, and Joel Culina (Chrystal McNeil) of Halifax, Nova Scotia, grandchildren Isla and Eamon McBride, and step-grandson Benen McBride. She is survived by sister Gloria Ringuette (Ed Elliott) of North Bay, Ontario, who will miss their weekly Wednesday phone calls, and is predeceased by her parents Mary and Leo Hunt of Kitchener, Ontario, and her other siblings: Angela Gnepe, Ron Hunt, Doug Hunt, and Doris Kloepfer.
Margaret was born in Kitchener where she met her husband Walter, who was boarding at the Hunt family home while studying at the University of Waterloo. After their marriage, they lived in the Toronto area before moving to South Africa for 4 years of work, travel, and adventure. After the birth of Melanie, they returned to Canada, residing in New Brunswick and then Brockville, Ontario, before making Northern Ontario (Elliot Lake and Timmins) their home. They retired to Pembroke, Ontario in 2006.
Margaret enjoyed years of travel across Canada and southern Africa in the early years of her marriage. After this she focused on her family, creating a cozy home filled with the smells of her top-notch cooking and baking. She was always there for her family, whether listening to her kids’ stories after school or walking with her husband in the evenings. Margaret made many good friends over the years from the different communities she lived in with whom she remained in contact. She had a strong devotion to her Catholic faith and was very involved in parish life. In their retirement, Margaret and Walter loved exploring the beauty of the Ottawa Valley, particularly enjoying their walks on the Pembroke waterfront. She delighted in her grandchildren with whom she loved spending time. Margaret was a gentle, giving, prayerful soul with a wonderful sense of humour.
We would like to thank Dr. John Thomson, her rheumatologist, and Drs. Graham Cook and Carolyn Nessim, her oncologists, for their care, compassion, and expertise, and to the medical team and staff of the palliative care unit at ÉlisabethBruyère for the incredible care they gave Margaret in her last days.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Arthritis Society Canada, or the Bruyère Foundation (Bruyère Palliative Care). Relatives, friends, and anyone else are invited to her funeral Mass at noon on Thurs. Jan. 26 at St. Columbkille’s Cathedral in Pembroke. Cremation has already taken place. Arrangements by Murphy Funeral Home, Pembroke.