Obituary of Joan Elizabeth MacLellan

It is with sorrow that we announce the passing of our mother, Joan Elizabeth (Crawford) MacLellan, on May 24, 2025 in Saint Martha’s Regional Hospital, Antigonish, Nova Scotia.  She passed peacefully in her sleep after bravely battling cancer for many years. 

Joan had four children: Joanne MacLellan (Gordon Marrs), Sudbury, Ontario; Trish Clarry (Doug Hitchcox), Georgian Bay, Ontario; Douglas MacLellan (Janna), Riverview, New Brunswick; Marcia MacLellan (Darren Senft), Calgary, Alberta. She also had six beautiful grandchildren: Riane (Alex Chojno), Jamie, Ashlyn, Cameron, Megan and Katie, and a sweet great granddaughter Avery Agnes. Joan’s love and caring also extended to her many canine companions over the years.

Joan was the eldest child of the late Ronald Douglas “Bun” and Mary Jane (Thompson) Crawford. They were a large family of ten children who grew up on Hawthorne Street in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. She is survived by her siblings are Doug Crawford (Harriet), Antigonish; Tom (Lorraine), Orleans, Ontario; Karen (late George) Spare, Riverview, NB; Terry (Gina), North Rustico, PEI; late Aileen (Barry Williams), James River; Minna (Jim MacDonald), Antigonish; George, Charlottetown, PEI; David (Joan) Doctor’s Brook; Ronalda, Antigonish. She is survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews and a wonderful aunt, Aunt Lavonne Thompson (late Alex Thompson), Antigonish County. 

Joan graduated from St. Martha’s School of Nursing in 1961. Her career took her down many interesting paths, including a year of training at her Alma Mater, followed by the operating room at Victoria General (QEII Hospital), Halifax.

She took a short hiatus to raise her four children in Moncton, New Brunswick. In the mid 1970’s, she resumed her nursing career balancing the challenges of working full-time, being a single mother with four active young children, and building a social life of her own. In between carting her kids to their many sports, she became an avid curler and even managed to curl an ‘8-Ender’. Her nursing career in Moncton was varied, with work in home health, nursing homes and the hospital. In her nursing career she also commuted to Dorchester Penitentiary in New Brunswick, and also a brief period at Millhaven Penitentiary in Ontario. 

She moved to Florida in 1988, to care for her aging father. In Florida she worked in several hospitals in the medical/surgical units, as well as in a Long-Term Retirement Facility, where she was the weekend supervisor. She ended her career in home healthcare in Pinellas County, and retired in 2005. It was in Florida in 2018 that Joan began her battle with cancer, successfully beating her first bout, only to see it return five years later. She returned to her hometown of Antigonish in 2020, where she was welcomed back with open arms by family and friends, old and new.   

Joan will be remembered as a strong force in the Crawford-MacLellan families. Her many challenges, and self-made opportunities, created an admirable person; one that could be summarized simply as: Joan was Steadfast, Calm, Responsible, Resourceful, Loving and Courageous. Joan – mother, grandmother, sister, friend – will be missed by many.  Mom, we take comfort knowing that you will join your parents, sister and all your pups, resting in peace.

Many thanks to Maggie Gillis, her primary care provider, and the St Martha’s Hospital Oncology, Palliative Care and Continuing Care teams.  Your support and timely responses were greatly appreciated.

Visitation will be held from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Monday, June 2, 2025, followed by a Funeral Mass at 2:00 pm in St. Ninian Cathedral. Burial in St. Margaret of Scotland Cemetery, Arisaig. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the St. Martha's Regional Hospital Foundation.