Obituary of Patricia Anne Bennett

Patricia Anne Bennett died at a time of her choosing on February 2, 2019 surrounded by family after a long battle with cancer. Pat was born on February 28, 1953 in Tisdale Saskatchewan to Ivan and Anne (Dale) Starr. The family lived in Tisdale and Melfort before moving to Saskatoon where Pat completed high school and earned a diploma in Chemical Technology. She took a job with Sherritt Gordon Mines in Lynn Lake, Manitoba where she met and married her husband, Elgin Bennett, and had two sons, Michael and Christopher. When the mines closed in 1989, Pat moved to Saskatoon where she worked in mining and construction. In 1996, she accepted a contract that took her to Kyrgyzstan for two years after which she returned to Canada. In 2003, a conference brought her to Nova Scotia, where she fell in love with the Eastern Shore. She purchased the Marquis of Dufferin Seaside Inn which she operated until recently. As in the past, Pat easily developed strong friendships with her neighbors in the Sheet Harbour area and spent many happy "happy hours" with them. Pat was always an active volunteer wherever she lived, for which she received The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. The light of her life in the last three years has been her granddaughter, Frances whose visits and conversations were the highlight of Pat's final days. The family would like to express heartfelt thanks to those friends and neighbours who were there for mom daily, in her final months. Pat wished to thank the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program for allowing her a joyful death. She is survived by her sons, Michael and Christopher (Lindsay Mason); granddaughter, Frances, and niece, Ruby Starr. She is predeceased by her husband, Elgin and her brothers, Gregory and Kim Starr. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Lodge That Gives in Halifax, operated by the Canadian Cancer Society. A celebration of Pat's life will be held on Wednesday, February 6th, at 1 p.m. in SR Balcom Community Center, Port Dufferin.