Obituary of Susan MacDonald

Susan MacDonald, the beloved wife of Bruce and mother of Callie, passed away after a long battle with cancer on December 13th, 2024. She takes a great piece of their hearts with her. Sue and her family spent the last 20 years living in Brooklin, Ontario and she passed away close to home at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa. She was a strong, wise, thoughtful, fun-loving, kind woman, as well as an involved, loving, and supportive mother to her daughter. Even whilst fighting her own battles, Sue would never miss a chance to watch her daughter dance, celebrate a milestone, or give the best motherly advice relating to whatever was going on in Callie’s life at the time.

Susan was born in Scarborough, Ontario on July 15th, 1969 to parents Bobby and Irene Johnstone. Her Scottish heritage was an integral part of her upbringing, she spent a few months living in Scotland as a small child before the family eventually relocated back to Canada. They bounced between Scarborough and Oshawa, and eventually settled in the latter permanently. It was there that Susan would attend Ridgeway Senior Public School and meet her future husband Bruce on graduation day. She and Bruce had been together since the age of seventeen and married at the Brooklin United Church on August 4th, 2002. They welcomed their daughter Callie a few years later on March 20th, 2005.

Sue attended the University of Guelph, graduating in 1994 with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in psychology and minoring in child and family studies. She then attended teacher’s college at the University of Toronto and obtained her Bachelor of Education. She was a beloved, dedicated, and passionate teacher at Stephen G. Saywell Public School for over 25 years. Sue put in countless hours of hard work outside of school to ensure the children in her class were learning lots and having fun doing it. Her passion to teach and advise was not limited to her time spent in the classroom. She taught her daughter and husband many life lessons that they live by.

Sue took special joy in all things having to do with her daughter. She was a dedicated dance mom, personal stylist, advice giver, chauffeur, private chef, and the best friend Callie could ask for.

Susan also loved good food, beautiful places, and spending time with those she loved. She was always so full of light, with the most infectious giggle you could ever hear. If you were lucky enough to make her laugh (and it was not too hard because she loved to do it), you would soon be doubling over as the contagion spread.

Susan and Bruce took several trips together, taking in the beautiful places they visited, sampling the local food, and immersing themselves in the culture. She enjoyed cottage trips and any chance to get outside and relax in fresh air.

Sue and her daughter shared an enormous love for popcorn, naming it their favourite snack of all time and liked trips out to the movies. Susan, Bruce, and Callie also enjoyed a movie night in, given that they could all agree on the movie and there were good snacks. One of Sue’s favourite movies was Good Will Hunting, a love that her daughter shares. Susan and Callie also shared a love of romantic comedies, leaving Bruce outnumbered in the movie choice conversation on several occasions. However, one thing that no one in the house would agree with her on was reality tv, which was her guilty pleasure. Callie and Bruce mocked her endlessly for seeing every single episode of the Real Housewives ever released.

Susan and Bruce became avid Blue Jay fans again over the last years of Susan’s life and together grew a new love for the game. It became their thing along with bingeing a good British detective series.

Speaking to her easygoing and happy-go-lucky nature, Sue would enjoy whatever music Callie was into at the time and (most of) the music Bruce would play. She was a true rocker as a teenager seeing Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and Van Halen concerts. In addition, you could always get a little jig out of her if “Another One Bites the Dust” came on.

Susan also had a passion for fashion and home design. She enjoyed telling her husband and daughter what was a great outfit and what was a fashion faux pas. She frequented Homesense, purchasing new lampshades and rugs, and returning them until she got it right. She was a careful woman who put time and much thought into her decisions, even if it was buying new placemats.

Susan was someone who never took life for granted, said I love you frequently, and gave her all as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. She will always be remembered for her bravery and strength. She never saw giving up as an option and fought her absolute hardest until the very end. She was constantly positive, insisting that anything was possible and could be figured out. Susan is survived by her husband Bruce, daughter Callie, mother Irene, and brother Gordon (Dina). She will be missed by mother in-law Ellie, father in-law Sandy, sisters-in-law Bonnie (Ron) and Kelly (Richard), and brother-in-law Chuck, as well as her many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father Bobby in July of 2014.

Funeral service will be on January 4th, 2025 from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm at De Stefano Funeral Home in Oshawa.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Sarcoma Cancer Foundation of Canada would be appreciated.

For those unable to attend in person, we invite you to view via Livestream by CLICKING HERE just prior to 1:00 pm on Saturday, January 4, 2024.