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Agnes Elizabeth (Betty) McRae
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<div itemprop="description">Agnes Elizabeth (Betty) McRae, nee Pate <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Betty (Pate) McRae was born at home, Brantwood Farm, in Brant County on April 10, 1924, to Mary Heron (McClure) Pate and Andrew Wilson Pate. She died at home in Ancaster on February 21, 2016. She was beloved by her three children, Andrew (Susan McCullough) of Ottawa, Ann (Jim Cairney) of Mississauga and Dean (Sandra) of Oshawa. She was also dearly loved by six grandchildren , Joel Cairney (Danielle Barnes) of Brampton, Aaron Cairney of Missisauga, Reuben (Kate) McRae, Meagan McRae and Katie McRae of Oshawa and Luke McRae of Toronto. As well, she was cherished by two great grandsons, Robert and Maxwell, of Brampton. She was predeceased by her husband Andrew Robson McRae, by her sister Marion Morton Knight and her brother James Wilson Pate, and is survived by her sister-in-law, Doreen Pate. Betty attended a rural school house, Howell's School, then Brantford Collegiate Institute. After high school she studied occupational therapy (O.T.) at the University of Toronto, graduating in 1947. She made lifelong friends both at high school and university and kept in touch to the end. Andy McRae was also from Brantford . After the end of World War II, Andy was released from RCAF, and courted Betty while he finished his Chartered Accountancy program. They married in 1949 and settled in Hamilton, moving later to Ancaster. Andy worked for Revenue Canada, as it was then known, for 25 years. Betty was very proud of her sons and daughter at every stage of their lives, and was equally proud of her grandchildren and great grandchildren, as they were of her. She was very fond of her daughters-in-law and son-in-law, and made sure that they knew it. She was also deeply interested in and encouraging of the endeavours of many cousins, nieces and nephews and their families, those spread over North America and in many corners of the world. Maintaining connections with family was not just an idea for Betty, it was a way of life, which she also extended to her large network of friends and their families. In addition to raising three children, Betty was active in her church community, and in the wider community. She volunteered when committees were being formed in the 1970's to help the &ldquo;boat people&rdquo;. She was the opposite of bashful, being keenly interested in people, in their stories. This sincere curiosity applied equally to recent arrivals to Canada as to Aboriginal people. On family camping trips in the 1970s and '80s, things did not always stay on schedule, because Betty would be off somewhere, meeting new people and developing friendships. During her last illness, she wanted to know not only the names of all of her health care providers, but their family stories, and, if they were new Canadians, the tale of how they came to Canada. Her husband Andy was diagnosed with a form of Parkinson's, PSP, in 1994, and died in 1998. Following this loss, Betty began her energetic and relentless year-round volunteer job of raising funds for Parkinsons. She participated in Hamilton's Parkinson Superwalk for 15 years, making substantial donations herself, and cajoling everyone she knew to support her effort. In her last two events, in September of 2014 and September of 2015, she was awarded medals for raising the largest sum of any individual participant. For her participation with the Ancaster Rotary club in providing wells in Haiti, Betty was recognized with a Paul Harris Fellowship. Also in her last decade, she organized other seniors, her neighbours, and her family members to collect windfall apples from Brantwood Farms, where her nephews continue the family farming tradition. Through the generosity of the Pate family and Betty's cadre of both youthful and elderly volunteers, she helped supply hundreds of pounds of high quality apples to Hamilton-area food banks. Betty was a &ldquo;good and faithful servant&rdquo; to her Lord, carrying out the mandate of spreading the gospel as well as giving generously, visiting the sick, caring for the needy, and encouraging the ministry of others. She considered herself very blessed to have been born in Canada to parents who could provide her with education and a solid start in life. She was a living model of &ldquo;paying forward&rdquo; the benefits she had received. Betty believed in the value of higher education. She was committed to the idea of donating her body to the anatomy department of the university that she had attended. As a student, she was deeply impressed that the study of anatomy was greatly enhanced by the generous gift of body donation, and she wished to impart that gift to another generation of students. Her family has honoured her wish. Betty has returned to U of T and therefore will be unable to attend her own memorial service. Though a member at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Ancaster, worship in thanksgiving and celebration of her life will be held at Marshall Memorial United Church, Gilbert Ave. and Fiddler's Green Road, Ancaster at 2p.m. Fri. Feb. 26. Visitation is Wed. Feb. 24, 7 to 9 p.m. and Thurs. Feb. 25, 2 to 4, and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Dodsworth &amp; Brown Funeral Home, 378 Wilson St. E., Ancaster. You are invited to wear something yellow if possible. Memorial donations to Parkinson Canada, www.parkinson.ca or to the Alzheimer Society of Toronto www.alz.to would be welcome. Betty's children and spouses are appreciative of the caring health care providers at the Juravinski hospital on F3, the CCAC staff and especially the staff of Gold Cross Home Care, who loved and cared for our mother as if she had been their own. <br /> <br /> <br />They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, <br />They shall rise up on wings like eagles, <br />They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /></div>