O’Neill, Philomena of Mulgrave passed away Monday, January 24, 2011 at the Milford Haven Home for Special Care, Guysborough one day after her 90th birthday. She was the daughter of the late Patrick and Brigid (O’Donnell) Coady and proud of having been born in St. John’s, Nfld. While she left Newfoundland, Newfoundland never left her and she spoke of it often. Philomena moved to Toronto at the age of 18 where she worked for a number of years and where she met Gus, her husband of 57 years. While in Toronto she enjoyed swimming and tennis and being a nanny. One family is forever indebted to her, for while assisting with an expectant mother and her children, she kept the children and the mom safe and was able to call for help when bullets were fired into the house and she kept going back to care for them. Phil and Angus moved to Mulgrave and started their family and she devoted her life to them. Angus spent many years working in Halifax leaving her to look after the house and raise her family. She was so filled with charity, saving pennies for the missions, with patience and with love. The Lord obviously saw this love and blessed her with births on three Valentine’s Days. While mom enjoyed her family she adored her grandchildren and beamed when they came to visit. She always had extra home cooking and cookies for those Sunday visits. Her youngest grandchild Lily gave her special joy as she read and danced and played with her even after the onset of her illness. She also enjoyed many chats she had through the years with her sisters-in-law Viola and Emily and her good friend Nell. Mom enjoyed sitting with dad and listening to Irish Music and spent many evenings sharing this. Irish music was playing when she left us. She will always be remembered as a lady of great faith and dignity. She prayed faithfully and offered up every day as a prayer, enduring all without a complaint. She prayed for priests and devotions to religious life and was so happy to have members of her extended family as a part of the religious life. She was proud when a special relative was beatified by Pope John Paul II. So deep was her faith that even though her disease robbed her of many things she still remembered to pray. Even in her last hours when little else was audible she was heard clearly crying out Jesus, Mary and Joseph. She is survived by daughter, Tara (Lawrence), Mulgrave; sons, Owen, Edmonton; Hugh (Gwen), Frankville; Liam (Wendy) River Denys; Brendan, Halifax; twelve grandchildren and 1 great grandchild; sisters –in-law, Viola O’Neil, Emily Cohoon and Betty O’Neil-Decoste, and many nieces and nephews. Besides her parents she was predeceased by her husband, Angus, infant son, Liam; brothers, Will and William James; sister, Bernadette; sisters-in-law, Malinda “Molly” Strachan, Bernadette Spray, Angela MacDonald and Imelda O’Neill; brothers-in-law, Samuel, Anthony, Alphonse, Eugene, Leonard, Elmer and Ignatius. The Family wishes to thank the many caregivers at Milford Haven, who cared for mom with their hands and their hearts. Special thanks to our sister Tara and brother-in-law, Lawrence who did so much for mom and dad and allowed them to live at home so long. Visitation will take place on Thursday, from 2- 4 p.m. and 7- 9 p.m. in Mulgrave and Area Resting Place. Funeral mass will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. in St. Lawrence Roman Catholic Church, Mulgrave, with Father Lloyd O’Neill officiating. Burial in the parish cemetery. Donations may be made in her memory to the Alzheimer’s Society of Nova Scotia or the Mulgrave and Area Resting Place. Funeral arrangements are under the care and direction of Dennis Haverstock Funeral Home, Port Hawkesbury. Words of comfort may be forwarded to the family at: www.haverstocks.com Service Information Service Date Friday, January 28, 2011