Nov. 23, 1931 – Dec. 05, 2025
It’s never easy to write an obituary for someone. You want to capture the essence of that person, but not make it too long, that people lose interest. You’d want it to be as if that person wrote it. If my Mom was to write her own I think it would go something like this.
My name is Beatrice Mary Galbraith. I was born on Monday, November 23, 1931, to Isabel and Rufus Allan. It was a cold and snowy day. I was delivered on my parents wanigan, in the Bear Pass Channel. That began my lifelong love of Rainy Lake.
My family moved from one place to another on Rainy before finally settling at Rocky Inlet. Ours was a big family, lots of brothers and sisters. Our parents taught us how to live off the land and how to respect nature and all it had to offer.
We attended school in a Box Car that came to the Rocky Inlet Station one week per month. My father blazed a two mile trail from our home on the water to the station. We walked each day, checking our snares along the way.
The girls for rabbits, the boys for deer. We never took more than we needed, always made it a respectful kill and gave the neighbours anything our family couldn’t eat. Spoiling or wasting was never an option.
We bathed in a washtub using soap my mother made. It was very strong. The boys called it monkey soap. Our Heroes were our Aunts and Uncles, loggers, trappers, steam boaters and commercial fishermen. My brothers dreamed of the day they’d be old enough to join the Army.
After my Box Car education I attended the Saint Boniface School of Nursing and became a Licensed Practical Nurse. On Thursday, July 5, 1956 I was united in marriage to the love of my life Donald Charles Galbraith. We bought a piece of land on Northwest Bay, Rainy Lake which is now known as Galbraith Point. We ran a commercial fishing organization from that spot for several years. This is where we raised our children Marie Minier (Alain), Donna McEvoy (Gene), Gordon Galbraith (Carla) Marlene Dickson (Doug), Tracy Carlson (Greg). Our children grew up there living a simple life and learning the values we both held precious. We spent a few years living in the town of Fort Frances before finally settling at Pair-A-Dice, Bear Pass. My working career consisted of jobs at Rainycrest, La Verendrye General Hospital and The Falls Memorial Hospital. I had a great passion for volunteering and really enjoyed the friends I made through life doing so. There was The Legion Lady’s Auxiliary, The CWL, the Bear Pass Fire Dept. to name a few. If I had to describe myself in a few words it would be—I’m a workin, nursin, quiltin, sewin, line dancin, organizin, cookin, bakin, babysittin, craftin, helpin out son of a gun!
Like I said prior, I came from a large family. My list of relatives is a long one, from Aunts and Uncles, brothers and sisters to Great Great Grandchildren. Some have gone before me and so many still remain. I’ll not name them here, in fear of leaving someone out, but I loved each and every one of them.
Christmas was my absolute favourite time of the year. All cooking, fun and festivity. In closing I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2026.
Love Bea.
Well that’s my Mom. I hope that’s how she would have said it. 94 years, so many changes. Steamboats to gas outboards, horse teams to snowmobiles, ice houses to freezers, the message period to cell phones, outhouses to indoor plumbing.
A very special thank you to all her friends at Rainycrest that made her last stop so enjoyable. Especially Smokey Kawulia. There could be no better place for my Mom’s last home than Rainycrest. The kind, compassionate, professional staff there, made a 94 year old woman, young again. Thank you all so much.
When I was a little boy I always wanted to help tie-up the boat. I’d tie many knots, making sure it wasn’t going to float away. My Mom said to me “Gord, two half hitches will hold the world” The other day when I went to Rainycrest to see her, the rope was broken… the boat was still there, but the world was gone.
A service of celebration of life will be held on Thursday, December 11 at 12:00 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, in Fort Frances.
Arrangements entrusted to Northridge Funeral Home Ltd., Emo, Ontario.
