Helen (Pat) Burley, in her 73rd year, surrendered to cancer, at home while surrounded by her family, on Saturday, August 30, 2014. Her parents were Vernon and Bernice Charlton of Little Current. She had invested fifty golden years with her beloved husband Dale Burley. As their mother, she was cherished by her daughter Lisa Burley of Gatineau, QC and sons Bruce of Toronto and Todd (deceased in 1985). She was a dear sister to her sisters Carol Heis (deceased), Judie Marsden of Stittsville, and her brother Ryan Charlton of Little Current. Her son-in-law Hugo Bastidas, and her grandchildren Lucas and Emma Bastidas-Burley loved her deeply. She was aunt to her very special nieces Kim Cooper, Wendy Leeder, Suzanne Marsden, and nephew Michael Marsden, and to her “Cornwall Crazies” Chris Burley, Kathy Kooi, Suzanne Jensen, Stephen Burley, David Burley and Paula Fontaine. She especially cherished her closest friends, Jackie Yundt, Wendy Dean, Cleta Sarich, Beverly Townsend and Pat Gibbons. She had a fond affection for her several great-nieces and great-nephews, especially for Patrick Pyette and his family. She loved and was loved and will be missed by her “Bereaved Moms.” Pat graduated from Belleville General Hospital as a registered nurse in 1962. Immediately she went in to emergency nursing, then on to Toronto General emergency. Her next stop was Northwestern General in Toronto as a floor nurse. From there she went to Chedoke Hospital as floor nurse, then to intensive care nursing at Oakville-Trafalgar General in Oakville. Her career kept following her peripatetic teacher husband on to Elliot Lake emergency, then to Toronto Northwestern General in emergency. There she went into supervision and later into Occupational Health and Safety. At the time of the amalgamation of York Finch, Humber Memorial and Northwestern General, she was promoted to Director of Occupational Health and Safety for the three hospitals. She left that position to work in the private sector with Kodak Canada as an Occupational Health and Safety nurse. Upon moving to Belleville in 2003, she continued in this position with Nortel. Having had her own experience of losing a child, she saw a great need for support for bereaved parents in the Belleville area. After several attempts with various organizations that proved fruitless, she managed to start “Bereaved Mothers of Quinte” with help from Hospice Quinte. Friends called at the John R. Bush Funeral Home, 80 Highland Avenue, Belleville (613-968-5588) on Thursday, September 11, 2014 from 7 pm to 9pm. A Celebration of Pat’s life was held in the chapel on Friday, September 12, 2014 at 12 noon (with visitation one hour prior to the service). Donations to Hospice Quinte or to R.D. Burley (In trust for Bereaved Mothers of Quinte) to assist in continuing to publish Pat’s pamphlet “Grief for Dummies” would be appreciated by the family. For online condolences, please visit www.rushnellfamilyservices.com.
