<div itemprop="description">Stirling, Catherine Faith (née Bateman) January 17, 1929 – May 7, 2023. Peacefully, with her devoted children Karen, Kimberly (Brian Ditty) and Andrew (Nancy Crispim) by her side. Predeceased by her beloved husband Clifford, daughter Cathy, and dear brothers Peter, John and Richard Bateman. Survived by her brother David Bateman in Florida. Adored and affectionate Nana to Scott MacDonald, Kai Gurholt, and Matthew and Thomas Stirling; delighted great-Nana to Autumn MacDonald; and loving Auntie Faith to her many Bateman and Stirling nieces and nephews. <br> <br>Born in Montreal to Dawson and May (née Martin) Bateman, Mom was a member of two large, close-knit families. When her mother passed away in 1941, Mom stepped up, at the age of 12, to run the household and care for her dad and brothers with the help of her Bateman aunties. She excelled at school and was the Verdun High Grade 11 class valedictorian. She trained to be a teacher at MacDonald College Campus (McGill) in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue and began teaching grade three at Woodland Elementary School in Verdun when she was 18. She met Dad at Woodland and they married in 1952. They moved to Chateauguay in the late 1950s, and Mom moved to Ottawa in 2002 to be close to her children and grandchildren. <br> <br>Mom was the touchstone of the Bateman clan and our cousins will fondly remember rambunctious Christmas dinners in Chateauguay throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. She was an avid reader, gardener, quilter and bridge player, and she and Dad were active members of St. George’s Anglican Church. She spent summers with her cousins at Lake Memphremagog growing up, inheriting the family cottage in the 1990s. She especially loved the beach in Ocean Park, Maine, where we vacationed en famille with the Stirlings, as well as many wonderful American friends, for decades. <br> <br>Despite some heartbreaking, momentous losses in her life, Mom was ever positive, confident, and gracious. Sadly diminished by dementia in the last several years, her sweet nature and devotion to her family remained intact. We feel so very lucky to have had her. <br> <br>A most special thank you to the staff at Maxville Manor in Maxville, Ontario for their kind and compassionate care of Mom. <br> <br>A memorial service will be held on June 10, 2023 at 11 a.m. in the chapel at Rideau Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home, 4275 Sources Blvd. in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec (reception to follow). In lieu of flowers, we would appreciate donations to the Maxville Manor Foundation or your favourite charity in Mom’s memory. <br> <br></div>
