Obituary for Ita W. Copelin (Barrett)
Ita W. Copelin
(Nee Barrett)
Mom was born over 90 years ago on May 6th, 1931, as she told it, above the family pub in Derry, Northern Ireland.
She was the youngest of five children born to Thomas and Annie Barrett, after Bridie, Nan, Aidan and Carmel. Mom always emphasized being the youngest. It was a badge of honour to her, and she used to say that’s why she was always so easy going.
Mom had a way with words and there were many “Ita sayings”. She had a wonderful childhood but never was a fan of school. She often recounted that “I only ever went to school a few wet Sundays.”
Mom left Derry and went to Dublin for college, where she trained as a seamstress. While there, she started dating Dad (Charles Copelin the Canadian as he was later referred to), who was living in England at the time. As Mom tells it, they decided to get married because it was cheaper than paying for all the travel back and forth across the channel.
They married June 15thof 1963 and settled in Guildford, Surrey. Anna May was born the following year in 1964, and Ciaran followed in 1966. That December the family boarded a steamer to cross the North Atlantic to Canada. They landed in Halifax three days before Christmas. Mom, who had never seen the snow, described the setting “as a magical land out of a fairy tale with a blanket of white and hundreds of twinkly lights”. In the same breath she would let you know how fed up she was with the snow and cold when it was still there three months later.
Soon the family moved to Beaconsfield, a suburb of Montreal. Catherine was born in 1969 during the middle of a raging mid-February blizzard. It was a night that Mom described “as not fit for man nor beast”.
Mom was an amazing, loving person who took care of the three kids, often on her own at home, since Dad’s work in advertising caused him to travel a fair bit. Mom relied on a persuasive and effective form of child psychology, which involved regular threats of “just wait until your father gets home”.
In 1972 the family moved again, this time to Burlington, Ontario, and it was here that we would finally settle down.
Mom made every house a home, and family was the cornerstone of her life. The children grew and got married: Anna to Art, Ciaran to Lorraine and Catherine to Richard. There were six cherished grandchildren who she and Dad doted on: Brayden, Allyson, Caleigh, Abby, Barrett and Yvonne.
Mom returned to work with the developmentally disabled later in life, after all three kids were settled in school. She found a second family working at Oaklands Regional Centre in Oakville Ontario, where the residents benefited from her exceptional qualities of empathy, kindness and endless patience.
In retirement Mom and Dad returned to the East Coast and the family cottage at Hunts Point, Nova Scotia. Mom and Dad spent 20 wonderful years there spending time with friends and family, doing local charity work, creating memories and watching the ocean go by together from their front row seats in their sunroom.
Mom and Dad moved back to Burlington in 2017, so the family could be together and assist in the care Dad required due to declining health from Alzheimer’s Disease. Dad unfortunately passed away in January of 2020 which was a huge loss for Mom.
Through all the changes and challenges, Mom managed everything with resilience, good nature and an unfailing sense of humour. Her favourite expression when a situation was proving difficult, was “give my head a holiday!”. In truth we believe it was her easygoing nature that allowed her the longevity in life of 90 years.
On March 23rd, 2022, Mom unexpectedly slipped the earthly bonds in exactly the way she would have wanted; peacefully and surrounded by the family that she loved so much.
The family would like to thank the ER, ICU and Internists Team at St. Joseph Hospital, Hamilton for the compassionate care and support. Our thanks also go out to the amazing staff at St Joseph’s Villa, Dundas, who provided both Mom and Dad with so much kindness, care and love over the years. Our family owes you all so much gratitude. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the St. Joseph's Villa Foundation
Private Family Services and Mass of Christian Burial. A private Celebration of Life is planned for a later time.
“Mom we all love you and miss you already. You will be in our hearts forever.”
(Nee Barrett)
Mom was born over 90 years ago on May 6th, 1931, as she told it, above the family pub in Derry, Northern Ireland.
She was the youngest of five children born to Thomas and Annie Barrett, after Bridie, Nan, Aidan and Carmel. Mom always emphasized being the youngest. It was a badge of honour to her, and she used to say that’s why she was always so easy going.
Mom had a way with words and there were many “Ita sayings”. She had a wonderful childhood but never was a fan of school. She often recounted that “I only ever went to school a few wet Sundays.”
Mom left Derry and went to Dublin for college, where she trained as a seamstress. While there, she started dating Dad (Charles Copelin the Canadian as he was later referred to), who was living in England at the time. As Mom tells it, they decided to get married because it was cheaper than paying for all the travel back and forth across the channel.
They married June 15thof 1963 and settled in Guildford, Surrey. Anna May was born the following year in 1964, and Ciaran followed in 1966. That December the family boarded a steamer to cross the North Atlantic to Canada. They landed in Halifax three days before Christmas. Mom, who had never seen the snow, described the setting “as a magical land out of a fairy tale with a blanket of white and hundreds of twinkly lights”. In the same breath she would let you know how fed up she was with the snow and cold when it was still there three months later.
Soon the family moved to Beaconsfield, a suburb of Montreal. Catherine was born in 1969 during the middle of a raging mid-February blizzard. It was a night that Mom described “as not fit for man nor beast”.
Mom was an amazing, loving person who took care of the three kids, often on her own at home, since Dad’s work in advertising caused him to travel a fair bit. Mom relied on a persuasive and effective form of child psychology, which involved regular threats of “just wait until your father gets home”.
In 1972 the family moved again, this time to Burlington, Ontario, and it was here that we would finally settle down.
Mom made every house a home, and family was the cornerstone of her life. The children grew and got married: Anna to Art, Ciaran to Lorraine and Catherine to Richard. There were six cherished grandchildren who she and Dad doted on: Brayden, Allyson, Caleigh, Abby, Barrett and Yvonne.
Mom returned to work with the developmentally disabled later in life, after all three kids were settled in school. She found a second family working at Oaklands Regional Centre in Oakville Ontario, where the residents benefited from her exceptional qualities of empathy, kindness and endless patience.
In retirement Mom and Dad returned to the East Coast and the family cottage at Hunts Point, Nova Scotia. Mom and Dad spent 20 wonderful years there spending time with friends and family, doing local charity work, creating memories and watching the ocean go by together from their front row seats in their sunroom.
Mom and Dad moved back to Burlington in 2017, so the family could be together and assist in the care Dad required due to declining health from Alzheimer’s Disease. Dad unfortunately passed away in January of 2020 which was a huge loss for Mom.
Through all the changes and challenges, Mom managed everything with resilience, good nature and an unfailing sense of humour. Her favourite expression when a situation was proving difficult, was “give my head a holiday!”. In truth we believe it was her easygoing nature that allowed her the longevity in life of 90 years.
On March 23rd, 2022, Mom unexpectedly slipped the earthly bonds in exactly the way she would have wanted; peacefully and surrounded by the family that she loved so much.
The family would like to thank the ER, ICU and Internists Team at St. Joseph Hospital, Hamilton for the compassionate care and support. Our thanks also go out to the amazing staff at St Joseph’s Villa, Dundas, who provided both Mom and Dad with so much kindness, care and love over the years. Our family owes you all so much gratitude. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the St. Joseph's Villa Foundation
Private Family Services and Mass of Christian Burial. A private Celebration of Life is planned for a later time.
“Mom we all love you and miss you already. You will be in our hearts forever.”