ALEXANDRA ELINOR "LEXIE" RIDDEL-MACKINTOSH

1921 - 2020

RIDDEL-MACKINTOSH, ALEXANDRA ELINOR "LEXIE" January 24, 1921 - May 29, 2020 Lexie passed away unexpectedly but peacefully in Ottawa, on May 29, 2020 at the age of 99 years. She was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and was the firstborn child of Alexander and Elinor McCullough. She is survived by her beloved "little sister" Joyce (the late Ted Voteary) and was predeceased by her sister Maureen (the late John Baber) and by her brother Jack (Shirley). She was a beloved "Auntie Lexie" to her nieces and nephews in Canada and the USA. She will be deeply missed by her daughter Sandy (Peter Marshall) of Ottawa, and her daughter-in-law Ann Riddel of Calgary (widow of Lexie's beloved son Peter Riddel). She was the best Nana ever to her adored grandchildren Adam (Melissa), Matthew (Danielle), Alicia (Matthew D'Aguiar), Lauren (Danny Higgs) and Tommy. She was also "step-great-nana" to Morgan Riddel. In 2019 Lexie was thrilled by the birth of her first precious great-grandchild Felix Patrick D'Aguiar. She often remarked that she never had imagined she would live long enough to become a great-grandmother and one of the highlights of her recent years was meeting him. Lexie married her first husband, John ("Jack") Riddel, in Belfast in 1943 and in 1944 their son Peter was born. In 1947 the young family immigrated to Canada, where Lexie spent the rest of her life living in Toronto, Craighurst, Barrie, Burlington and eventually Ottawa. Their daughter "Sandy" was born in 1951. After Jack's untimely death in 1964, Lexie worked for many years in the accounting office for the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. In 1978 she married her longtime friend Douglas C. Mackintosh and together they embarked on a life in Burlington and eventually in Ottawa. She embraced the Mackintosh clan with completely unconditional love and kindness, even after Doug's death in 1988. Mourning her loss are Doug's son William Mackintosh (Sandy), and their children Roland (Debbie), Carolyn (Steve) and grandchildren. Lexie was predeceased by Doug's daughter Patricia (the late Murray Melville), and granddaughter Quita Fodor. She is survived by Pat's son, Leslie Fodor (Maria) and their children. Throughout her life Lexie dealt with personal tragedies, losing her first husband at a young age, losing her second husband, and then suffering the loss of her much loved son Peter. And yet through it all she maintained her inner strength, her faith and her positive outlook, which kept her moving forward. She was undoubtedly one of the most optimistic and resilient people we have ever known. Lexie excelled at many tasks and yet made them seem effortless. She was accomplished at sewing, cooking, baking, knitting, embroidery and crotchet. We all own dozens of beautifully hand knit socks thanks to her efforts. She always made Christmas magical. She was generous and thoughtful and never too busy to lend a hand to someone who needed help. Lexie was involved in the Ladies Guild at her church and was always a willing contributor to the annual bazaar and to the bales of hand made goods sent to the northern missions every spring. But above all this, Lexie's passion was her family. We meant everything to her and she adored us beyond belief. We could do no wrong – a fact which may have been exploited by a few of us during our growing years! She was immensely proud of us, and loved to tell everyone who would listen about our accomplishments, large or small. Lexie never lost touch with her family in N. Ireland and spoke often of her happy childhood in Belfast and her holidays spent with her grandfather and aunts and uncles in the village of Greyabbey. She has remained close to her cousins there, especially Herbie and June Carson and their daughters, and enjoyed many happy holidays with them in the past 30 years. A special thanks is sent from our family to the nurses, PSWs and support staff at the Revera Barrhaven Manor who cared lovingly for Lexie for the past 4 years. She told us all multiple times how much she enjoyed living there. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Lexie will be laid to rest privately in Toronto at St. John's York Mills Cemetery. A memorial service will be arranged at a future date. For those wishing, a gift in Lexie's memory can be made to: The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund, The Canadian Cancer Society or a charity of your own choice. Arrangements entrusted to the Kelly Funeral Home, Barrhaven Chapel, 3000 Woodroffe Ave., Ottawa ON K2J 4G3, 613-823-4747.