The family is heartbroken to announce the passing of Helen MacKinnon on July 7th, 2023, with her family by her side.
She is lovingly remembered by her children, Holly, Sandra (Benji), Marilyn (Terry), and honourary fourth daughter Bonnie (Derek); grandchildren, Adam (Crystal), Matt, Hayley (Greg), Cory (Anca), Thomas (Alexandra), Alex (Cassidy) and Jordan (Sarah); and great grandchildren Reid, Georgia, Malcolm, Cohen, Kaden and Morgan; her partner and best friend, Reino Viitala, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Helen was predeceased by her beloved husband, Joe and son, Gary; parents, John and Hilma Eklund; brothers, Oliver and Wilbert; and sisters, Edna and Linnea.
Helen was born in Port Arthur and spent her early years in Beardmore where she met and married the love of her life at age eighteen. Together they raised their children to be strong and independent. She was an excellent role model having a variety of professional accomplishments throughout her life. However, her family was always most important. Helen started her working career at age twelve, in a bakery. Upon graduating from Hillcrest Institute of Technology, she became a full-time cashier at Chapple's Store and Delmar’s Restaurant until she was hired by Bell Telephone to become a Switchboard operator in Beardmore.
When the family moved to Thunder Bay, Helen continued working, holding positions in accounting at the T.E. Eaton company, a medical secretary at the Medical Arts Building, switchboard operator at St. Joseph’s Hospital, moving on to medical secretary for Dr. Kim in the Physiotherapy Department again at St. Joseph’s Hospital. From there, Helen took a position as Office Manager for North of Superior Travel where she worked until she became a founding partner of Sportop Marketing Inc.
Upon retirement, Helen was happy to become a Snowbird. She loved every minute of her time in the sun. Her favourite trips of all were to Barbados, Hawaii and Florida. She and Joe enjoyed long walks to John’s Pass and time spent with new friends.
Helen was skilled at crochet, needlepoint, upholstery, knitting and sewing. She was known for her ability to produce matching knit sweaters for her children and beautifully hand sewn Christmas, wedding, and graduation dresses for her daughters. Helen was renowned for her personal recipes for tea biscuits, butter tarts, pies and shortbread cookies. One of her favourite things was hosting elaborate family get-togethers.
She was a crossword puzzle enthusiast, as well as a sports fan. Helen could name all the Blue Jay players, curlers, hockey players and golfers. She was also an avid reader and enjoyed listening to music from a variety of genres.
Mom loved her family deeply and was extremely proud of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Her dedication and support was unwavering, and she was always there to lend a helping hand when needed.
Mom showed amazing strength and determination as she coped with health issues. There were times when things were looking grim in the hospital, but she was always able to rally and fight her way back to the best of her ability.
Mom lived her last number of years at Suomi Koti where she met her best friend and partner Reino. They spent many years enjoying each other’s company, going on Sunday drives, watching sports, and occasionally taking fun trips to the Casino where they were both quite lucky.
One of Mom’s last pieces of advice to us when discussing possible trips was “Why wait to travel, do it now, book your tickets and before you know it you will be there.”
Memories of Mom and all she instilled in us will forever live on through us.
As per her wishes, a private family gathering will be held.
The family wishes to extend special thanks to the staff of St. Joseph’s Palliative and Hospice Unit for all their care and kindness during her final days. We are also grateful for the assistance and guidance received from the Everest Waverly Chapel. We would also like to thank the staff and residents of Suomi Koti, where the Finnish and Canadian flags were lowered to half mast on the day of her passing.
If desired, memorial donations made to PRO Kids Thunder Bay, an organization near and dear to her son Gary’s heart, would be greatly appreciated by the family.
