KATHLEEN ROWAT

ROWAT, Kathleen (Kitty) Margaret Isabella, BScN, MS, PhD (Nursing)
At the Ottawa Hospital General Campus on February 16, 2015. Daughter of the late Rev. Ronald Rowat and Kathleen Anderson. She is survived by her partner of fifty years Mary-Ellen Jeans of Ottawa, brother Don (Sue-Ann) of Burlington, brother Bruce (Maura) of Toronto, as well as her nieces and nephews Alison (Eric Hans) of Mission Viejo, California, and Wendy (Ken Thiessen) of Burlington, Colin of London, England, Kira (Stuart Taylor) of Winnipeg, and Andrew of Brooklyn, New York, and grandnephews and grandnieces Alex, Hunter, Isabel, Katie, Iona, Tommy, Abigail, Felix, and Maia. Born on January 7, 1937 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Kitty attended high school at the Franklin Academy in Malone, New York and finished her final year at Branksome Hall in Toronto, Ontario on a scholarship. Kitty was a nurse, the epitome of all that is best in nursing. Following completion of her BScN at the University of Toronto, she moved to England where she practiced at The Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford before returning home to work at the Montreal General Hospital and then went to the University of California, San Francisco for her masters in nursing. The school of nursing at McGill University then became her home where she spent the rest of her career save for an interlude at the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago where she completed her PhD in nursing. At McGill University School of Nursing, Kitty did it all: researcher, educator, administrator, colleague, mentor, student advocate, and friend. She assisted families where a member suffered from chronic pain and her research focused on its effect on the entire family. She was the head of undergraduate and graduate nursing programs through the years and served as Acting Director. She helped create one of the first PhD programs in nursing in Canada and supervised the first graduate. Kitty did all this while maintaining a distinct composure, immaculately groomed with a warm, gracious and compassionate heart. She was determined and intelligent, and her faith and values guided her in all things that mattered deeply to her. These traits served her well as she lived with Parkinson's Disease for 15 years with amazing courage. She was determined to carry on her life to the max; entertaining friends, travelling the world, and enjoying her life, despite walkers and wheelchairs. Kitty had a beautiful singing voice and music was a very important part of her life. She sang for many years with the St. Lawrence Choir in Montreal and later joined the Ottawa Choral Society. She continued her involvement with the society after she retired as an active member. She coordinated a group of volunteers who provided support to the choir and continued to enthusiastically attend concerts for as long as she could. Kitty took tremendous interest and pride in the goings-on and whereabouts of her nieces and nephews, flung though they were to the four corners of the globe. Any family gathering was a chance for her to ask about what was going on in your life. So deep was her love for family, and her family's love for her. Kitty will be greatly missed by her devoted partner, her family and wide cadre of friends in Canada and in Treasure Cay, Bahamas. She will be remembered with love for her strength, unflagging optimism, good humour, and steadfast determination. Special thanks to the medical and nursing staff on the 6th Floor Medicine Unit of the Ottawa Hospital for their compassionate care of Kitty during her last days. One morning after a particularly trying night, Kitty insisted that we write down all of the names of the members of the care team so that she could thank them personally. We would also like to thank Dr. David Grimes and the staff of the Parkinson's Clinic at the Ottawa Hospital for their care. A very special thank you to her family physician, Dr. Priscilla Bright, who was a pillar of strength for Kitty throughout her illness. Kitty was very involved with others dealing with Parkinson's, many of whom became friends. As well, she actively supported fundraising activities for Parkinson's research. Donations in her memory can be made to the Parkinson Society Eastern Ontario http://www.parkinsons.ca/en/ donate-now. A Celebration of Kitty's Life will be held at the Church of St. Bartholomew, 125 Mackay Street in Ottawa, Ontario on Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 2:00 p.m.
A verse that she left with us, written in her bible by her parents, was Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."