Kathleen was born in 1926. She was the youngest of nine, and had nine children herself. In 2016, at her 90th celebration, I captured a few quotes from those toasting her:
Granddaughter
What a ringleader and matriarch throughout the years! I’m proud to be following in your footsteps, becoming a nurse.
Son-in-law
The most welcoming of matriarchs, through good times and bad.
Niece
Across the entire Cahill clan- it’s profound, the influence you’ve had in all of our lives.
Another niece
My Mom would have been 92 this year. Thank you for being my surrogate mother through all these years.
Girl from old neighbourhood
I want to speak on behalf of all of us who were under that umbrella of magic. You gave a place for all of us who weren’t Dunphy’s. That magic was ever-expanding.
Son
Last week I was discussing this gathering; one of my friends asked why, with all she’s done, she hasn’t become a member of the Order of Canada.
Another Son
I knew my Mom was special when she protested the school’s decision to remove Mad Magazine from the library.
And another son
Your example of never being afraid to stand up for what’s right informed my entire life, and I see it living in all of your children and grandchildren.
Granddaughter’s friend
I declared myself the fourth daughter of Ned and Clare. You were the edgiest grandma I knew- you’d tease the girls you were cutting them out of your will. I truly felt like I was your granddaughter that first time you told ME I was cut out of your will!
Me
I want to thank you for teaching me bravery. From getting your BA, having a career in journalism, having nine children, getting involved in every election or cause you felt strongly about, coming out of several health challenges to go back to school to start a new career in nursing. I started university as you started nursing school, and while friends around me worried about their career choices, I knew I could follow my passion, and still have time for new careers.
Also Me
When I told her about my sons I wanted to adopt, she told me that there was never a single day as a mother that she didn’t know that she was doing the most important work in the world, raising tomorrow’s adults.
August 2016