New Waterford, NS
January 21, 2025
Pauline MacMaster passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, in St. Martha's Hospital, Antigonish, after a brief battle with pneumonia.
She was born in 1940 in New Waterford, daughter of the late Frank and Mary (MacLean) Petrie.
She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Gordon MacMaster in March 2024.
She was also predeceased by her siblings, Patricia "Patsy" Nearing, and Mary Peel, infant siblings Gerard, Audrey, and twins Lois and Lillian; and her daughter-in-law, Katherine MacMaster.
She is survived by her children, Laura (Shaun Butler), Sydney River; Gordon, Michigan; Frank (Jacqueline), Halifax and her youngest son and caregiver, Duncan, Port Hawkesbury. She was a beloved Nan and "Pano" to Connor, Hannah, Mhairi, Frances, Rory, Ronan, Ryanne and Jack.
She is also survived by her sister, Helen (Jack Brown), and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Pauline MacMaster was the daughter of a coal miner and a homemaker. Despite a childhood of financial hardship and wartime shortages, when asked Pauline would always say: "We were poor, but we didn't know we were poor, so we didn't mind it." That positive attitude shaped her life. Pauline became a licensed teacher at 17 after attending Normal College in Truro, and immediately established herself as a versatile educator who could handle any subject, in any classroom, with any students.
Pauline taught first in New Waterford, then moved to Port Hawkesbury, where she started by teaching adults, then spending the last decades of her long career teaching junior high. Pauline was also known for her sharp wit, her blunt way with the truth, and her love for her family, her students, and teaching.
Despite health issues that plagued her life, Pauline never lost her positive outlook, or her deeply held Catholic faith. She will be remembered, celebrated, and missed by her family, her friends, and by her many former students.
Her family would like to thank the staff of Strait-Richmond Hospital and the ICU at St. Martha's Hospital for their incredible care.
Funeral mass will be held in St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Port Hawkesbury, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 25.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Strait Richmond Palliative Care Society or the St. Martha's Hospital Foundation.

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