Margaret (nee Tape) Hawkins

Dear Mom, 

This is a love letter. A thank you. An homage. And a goodbye.  Started on February 24th, 2025 - the day you passed away - this has been a lifetime in the making. 

We’re grateful for your love of family and friends.  

Taking our cue from you, we’ve been reminiscing about your Brampton birth and Ottawa childhood, your beloved parents Robert Tape and Bessie Wilson, and close relationship with brothers Norman (Judy) and Rob (Helen).  We all knew that a highlight of your week was the Sunday morning call with your sister, Carolyn Blair (Dick). Cally was far away, but close to your heart.  Your bookshelves proudly displayed photos of grandchildren Adelaide, Amber, Clara, Kaya, and Tyson—and great-granddaughter Sloane, who recently made ‘screensaver status’.  Your keen interest in genealogy led to a visit to Ireland to research your roots and the expansive family tree you created—an artistic masterpiece that dates back to the Duke of Wellington.  And you were also a loyal friend, making an impact on so many.

We’re so proud of your chosen profession. 

Given your compassion and generosity, it’s fitting that you studied nursing at the Ottawa Civic Hospital. We have fond memories of visiting the infants you cared for at the Cobourg Hospital nursery.  But you truly found your calling in community nursing in Cobourg and later in Peterborough, working for the VON. Your award-winning career included pioneering adult day programs—pilot projects that added meaning to your life and the lives of others.   

 We marvel at your creativity. 

There are quilts across Canada with your handwritten labels—on beds, walls, tables, and in exhibit halls.  You showcased your talent in the bold colours, shapes, and themes you explored.  This art form wasn’t just an outlet for a decades-long passion, but for an endless love of learning.  Your creativity didn’t stop there.  You made jackets and handbags and wallets and purses.  You had the greenest of thumbs, keeping plants in the house and garden lush all year round.  As a baker, your pies, date squares, and sticky buns were without peer.  You made our intricate wedding cakes.  But above all, it was your legendary butter tarts—with their tender pastry and soft, indulgent filling—that will always be the stuff of dreams.

We celebrate your fearlessness.

To see you set up a Wi-Fi printer in your late 80s, answer your smart watch, post on Instagram, or call us on FaceTime showed a sense of daring we never took for granted. Even your high-tech sewing machine was a challenge you welcomed with patience and interest.   Soups. Sauces. Appetizers. Your experimentation in the kitchen never waned.  Remarkably, you tackled new and complex recipes, even later in life, when many lose their curiosity.  Our regret is that you didn’t live to experience your 90th birthday in April, at the top of the CN Tower, because that adventure was on your bucket list. 

 We admired your sense of style and humour.

You were meticulous, taking pride in your appearance.  Accessorizing with carefully chosen necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.  Sewing flattering outfits—including a skirt earlier this month because the fabric was soft and elegant.  Intuitively knowing the mauves, purples, and blues that complemented your snow-white hair and hazel eyes.  We could each make you laugh and flash that stunning smile.  You indulged us in the frequent retelling of prized childhood stories—skiing out the living room door down a makeshift hill; pooling our money to buy donuts and pastries while you were at work, then forcing down dinner so you wouldn’t be the wiser.  You must have been the wiser, mom.  But you never let on.

 You’ll be forever missed. 

 Love,  Janet (Mike), Gail (Arlyn), Norman (Sheila), and Peter (MJ)

We’d also like to thank the Multi-Service Centre (Tillsonburg) Assisted Living Services team for allowing our mom to remain in her home with dignity and independence and the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Integrated Stroke Unit for their compassionate care.

There will be a Celebration of Life in April.  For those who wish to donate in Marg’s honour, feel free to support CAMH , Coldest Night of the Year,  or VON Sakura House directly, or (by cheque made out to the chosen organization) through Wareing Cremation Services, 161 Broadway St., Tillsonburg, Ontario N4G 3P9  who have been entrusted with Final Arrangements.  Your messages of remembrance and condolence may be shared at wareingcremation.ca