Obituary of Marilyn Anne Theresa MacIsaac

Marilyn Anne Theresa (Ward) MacIsaac, 86, of Halifax passed away peacefully on May 13, 2026. She was holding her son Grant’s hand, with one of her favourite songs, Little Baby Ducks by Tom T. Hall, playing in the background.

Born in Halifax to Mary (Power) and Frank Ward on July 25, 1939, Marilyn grew up in a little house on Liverpool Street, modest in space, but rich in laughter and love. She was a member of the first graduating class of St. Patrick’s High School on Quinpool Road, and a proud graduate of St. Francis Xavier University (1959).

Following graduation, Marilyn worked with Air Canada and drove a pale green Ford Mustang hardtop. For the company Christmas party, she was set up on a blind date with Jack MacIsaac, then a law student at Dalhousie University. The story goes that Jack was not exactly on top of his game that night and managed to lose both Marilyn’s phone number and her interest. However, she made enough of an impression that Jack got the phone book out and called every “Ward” number until he found her again to plead his case. And so began a life of love together; they married in 1968 and welcomed their three sons, Mark, Grant and Stephen in the years that followed. They settled into their home on Deepwood Crescent, a horseshoe-shaped street with 86 school-age kids. There she was both a beneficiary and an architect of a happy and bustling neighbourhood community, street hockey and pop-up wheelies a constant in front of the house. Neighbours would gather in lawn chairs on the front lawn and for card games and happy hour on Friday nights. Marilyn embraced full-time motherhood; she bowled with her girlfriends on Tuesday mornings, cheered for her boys at Centennial rink, was an active member of the Catholic Women’s League and a contributor to many charitable causes. She was a lifelong supporter of StFX sport. She expressed love in many ways, but especially through food – to birds, cats (especially Taffy and Muffin), and anyone who happened by. Delicious aromas greeted everyone at the front door. Gourmet dinners for bridge parties and night-before-the-game “hoggie” football buffets were the stuff of legend. Baked goods were turned out in preposterous quantities: a dozen dozen cookies at a time, quickly reduced to a rubble of crumbs by Jack, her three boys, and the neighbourhood kids.

In 1974, Marilyn and Jack built their cottage in Doctor’s Brook, N.S. This marked the beginning of what Marilyn would call “the golden years”. She would pick up the boys on the last day of school, get them all brush cuts at Domenico’s Barbershop, and pile them into the green Chevy Suburban packed to the rafters for the two-hour drive to Antigonish County. Summer days were spent on the sandbar and in the warm waters of Arisaig beach, rinsing off afterwards in the falls or the brook or the dam. BBQ and baserunner on the front lawn would follow, and then everyone would collapse into bed, out of exhaustion from the day and in anticipation of the next. The cottage became and remains the MacIsaac spiritual home, ever full of music, laughter and stories of the early years. Our family is forever grateful for the ever-constant kindness and support of the community.

Marilyn embraced each day with joy and optimism. She woke happy every single morning, often singing or humming before her feet hit the floor. Everyone at the door was welcome, strangers quickly became friends, and friends were family. She was a keen and empathetic observer of people, a great listener, and a source of wise, gently-offered advice. And laugh? She was the one at the theatre who would get the whole place going. Her laugh was infectious (even for her), and Carol Burnett or Three’s Company or Dad’s stories could get her (and us) going almost to the point of hyperventilation.

Marilyn was predeceased by her parents, Mary and Frank Ward, and her husband Jack. Left to celebrate and carry on her legacy are her sister and best friend, Kathi (Bill Cochrane); her sons, Mark (Danielle Duggan), Grant and Stephen (Yumiko), and her brother-in-law Ron MacIsaac. Her light shines on especially through her adored grandchildren: Jack, Rowan, Emma, Avery and Arlo.

Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be held from 2-4 and 6-8 pm on Thursday, May 21, 2026  in MacIsaac Funeral Home, 61 Pleasant St., Antigonish. Funeral Mass will be held at 11 am on Friday, May 22, 2026 in St. Margaret of Scotland Church, Arisaig, with Reverends Rowland Uzoma Agomuo and Danny MacLennan presiding. Burial in the parish cemetery to follow at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of choice. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the staff at Drummond Hall, Parkland Clayton Park, and especially to the Berkeley Bedford, where Mom spent many happy days.

We are overwhelmed with gratitude – for Mom’s incredibly joyful life, for the kindness and generosity of our friends and the community, and for the beauty of Nova Scotia. We will remember Mom always, and especially as the summer sun sets over the Northumberland Strait.