October 21, 1929 - March 30, 2021
October 21, 1929 Toronto, Ontario - March 30, 2021 Maple Ridge, BC (91 years).
Resided at her home in Maple Ridge until January 2021 when she moved to the Maple Ridge Seniors Village.
Yolanda married John (Jack) McNamara in Toronto in 1954 and they spent their honeymoon in Miami, Florida. They moved initially to Vancouver in 1956, before moving to New Westminster and then settling in Maple Ridge in 1959.
She was mom to three sons and two daughters but she was also mom to many neighborhood friends of her children - she was referred to as Mrs. Mac! Yolanda was a competitive and a pretty good softball player in her youth and later coached her daughters' softball teams. She was a strong advocate and supporter of her children participating in academic, sports and other social activities.
Yolanda was always full of energy and enjoyed cycling, roller skating (on the sea wall), and other outdoor activities well into her senior years. She also enjoyed going to the occasional opera and symphony. She was not shy of hard work and cut her lawn every summer.
She loved a cup of tea, long conversations and a good joke. Yolanda was always up to the challenge from both her children and grandchildren and she remained an avid walker well into her 91st year, enjoying long walks to the dikes, and short ones around the block!
Yolanda's parents, Leo and Hazel, had six children: sisters Veronica and Bernadine (deceased); surviving sisters Esther and Joan as well as brother Leo. Survived by her husband John McNamara and children Donald (Dawn), Catherine, Leonard (Tania), Frances (Dan) and Norman. She had eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Yolanda fought the effects of dementia during her final days but she was able to connect with the people she loved and received her final sacrament from Father Edwin of St. Luke's Catholic Church. Yolanda passed away peacefully during the evening knowing all is well with her family. We miss her very much. In lieu of flowers, you may send a donation to the Canadian Red Cross in Maple Ridge.