Obituary of Rose Anne McKay

ROSE ANNE MARY McKAY

May 15, 1959 – October 25, 2018

Rose Anne Mary McKay (née Coleman) passed away peacefully on Thursday, October 25, 2018 at Isabel and Arthur Meighen Manor in Toronto, Ontario surrounded by her loving family.  Born in Penticton, British Columbia, she was the only daughter of Donald William Coleman (d.1981) and Rosa Theresa Coleman (d.2013). She leaves behind a large and loving family, including her husband, Barry McKay; her three children: Austin, Emma and Brendan McKay; as well as her beloved five brothers, brothers and sisters in-law, and a large extended family.

For Rose Anne, teaching was truly a vocation.  She completed a five-year Bachelor of Special Education Degree at the University of British Columbia in 1983, where she graduated at the top of her class.  Following her degree, her teaching career touched the lives of many.  She taught at a Juvenile Detention Institute, she taught the blind and hearing impaired, and taught at the Hospital for Sick Children’s Child Development Clinic in Toronto.  During her exemplary 25-year career as a Special Education Teacher with the Toronto Catholic District School Board, she became an expert in the field of autism.

Rose Anne was a supernatural beauty, who loved nature and any opportunity to see the world.  Her love of travel and the great outdoors took her on many adventures – as far away as the Philippines, Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom, and to every corner of Canada.  In all her travels, there was nowhere Rose Anne was more at peace than in her hometown of Penticton, BC, where she spent countless scenic summers with her Mother and her family.

Kindness and compassion defined Rose Anne’s very being, in all forms of herself.  As a mother, wife, daughter, sister, teacher, and friend, she exemplified all that is good, true and beautiful.  She will be so missed, and is forever loved.  In lieu of flowers, donations to ShareLife (www.sharelife.org) would be appreciated.  Condolences, photographs and memories may be forwarded through www.humphreymilesnewbigging.com.