CONNIE MARIE CUTHBERTSON

It is with profound sadness that the family of
Connie Marie Cuthbertson
share the news of her passing on November 25, 2014 at the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital.
Surrounded by her family she passed peacefully after a bravely fought battle with a very rare form of cancer.
Connie was born the second of four children to Harlan and Pat Faragher on September 19, 1960 in Fort Frances, Ontario.
Raised in Fort Frances, Connie attended Huffman, Robert Moore and eventually Fort Frances High School where, as a ninth grade student, she met Doug Cuthbertson. High school sweethearts, they married on August 9, 1980.
It was becoming a mother to Shaunna and Megan, and enjoying countless hours drawing, colouring, and painting, when Connie rediscovered her love of art. The story was often told of how she sat on the kitchen fl oor with a huge roll of kraft paper and a set of Crayola watercolour paints that her hands remembered how to paint. The fi rst paintings she sold were painted with that same paint set. She started to save up for “real paints” and so began her journey as a true artist.
Her art has taken her on the most amazing adventures – she travelled all throughout the world in search of adventure, new people, and inspiration for her art. On one of her trips to Greece, Connie discovered the joy of writing. She began a new personal journey that she affectionately called “The Awakening” which led her to share the feelings and defi ning moments that led to each of her artistic creations. The community of artists she belonged to will miss her deeply – from her local colleagues to her dear friends in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Over the years Connie established her own custom framing business, continued her art, and took her business to the next level in April of 1998 when she opened Northwoods Gallery & Gifts in downtown Fort Frances. Over the years, her business has changed and grown to become one of the largest gift stores in Northwestern Ontario.
She spent countless hours over the years giving to her community as a member of various clubs and committees. She deeply believed that the heart of Fort Frances – its downtown – was meant to be a hub for Northwestern Ontario Tourism and worked hard to help that become a reality.
She had a true gift for listening and understanding, and those qualities were most valued by many special friends and family. She was always able to fi nd the silver lining in any situation and did her best to help others see it too. She loved the outdoors and took every opportunity to enjoy it – hiking, canoeing, fi shing, biking, scuba diving, swimming, and just “being” with nature. An adventurous spirit, Connie always seized opportunities to experience new things – her zip-lining and skydiving experiences topped her list. For many years she played volleyball in Fort Frances and spoke often of her “volleyball girls” and how their shenanigans brought her such joy.
Connie was an amazing wife and mother. She was very proud of her children, Shaunna MacQuarrie (Ken) of Thorold, ON and Megan Moriarty (Allan) of Fort Frances, ON. She poured her heart and soul into being a mother as she felt there was no higher calling in her life. She was simply the best mother – a perfect balance of rules and structure and fun, creativity and imagination. She especially loved being “Nanny” to her two grandchildren Jessie (6) and Benjamin (3) MacQuarrie. She was sure to teach them the great joy and necessity of being a “silly goose” and enjoyed many hours showing Jessie how to paint and use her imagination, as well as reading stories and singing silly songs with Ben.
Connie will be deeply missed by her husband Doug, daughters Shaunna MacQuarrie (Ken) and Megan Moriarty (Allan), grandchildren Jessie and Benjamin, her father Harlan Faragher (Mary King) and mother-in-law Jean Hoffman. Her siblings, Mark Faragher (Andrea Press), Karen Queffelec (John), and Darcy Faragher (Penny) and siblingsin-law Marilyn McCoy (Larry), Cathy Saunders (Wayne Wilson) and Jim Cuthbertson (Kathy) will also miss her dearly. Connie was a wonderful aunt to numerous nieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by her mother, Patricia Faragher and brother-in-law Jamie Kircher.
According to Connie’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a private interment with immediate family will happen at a later date. Family and friends may gather to celebrate Connie’s life and accomplishments on Friday, December 5, 2014 in the upstairs hall at the Memorial Sports Centre, 740 Scott St. in Fort Frances. Visitations will be held from 12pm – 3pm with a brief service at 3pm and then again from 6pm – 8pm.
Connie shared a deep connection with several senior members of her community. She was sensitive to their desire for an assisted living residence and her hope was to contribute to an assisted living project for the community of Fort Frances. As per Connie’s wishes, her family asks that in lieu of fl owers, donations be made through account #6464754 at the TD Bank, Branch transit #6053, to be held in trust until such a time that this project, through the hard work of the Assisted Living Action Group in Fort Frances, is suffi ciently in motion for the memorial donation to be made in Connie’s name.
The Cuthbertson Family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the nurses at the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital in Oncology Ward 1A and to Doctors Vergidis and Valente for their incredible care and support during this journey. An extra special thanks to the staff at Tamarack House and the owners and staff of the Days Inn and 5Forks Restaurant for the way in which they all went above and beyond to support and accommodate our family during this diffi cult time. We continue to be humbled by the new friends we’ve made along this journey.