Pauline's Legacy

Pauline’s upbringing was marked by profound instability. She was no stranger to hunger, frequently experienced inadequate housing and rarely had sufficient income to make ends meet. By the age of fourteen, she had lived in 14 different homes. She was the eldest of 8 children, with all but the youngest born within 9 years.  

The year Pauline turned 14, tragedy struck. On Christmas Eve, a house fire claimed the lives of her mother, two grandparents, and her youngest sibling, who was just 6 months old. Her father, an uneducated man with only labourer skills, was unable to assume the role of a single parent. He struggled to maintain steady employment and could not provide the stability necessary to raise the children. As a result, all of the siblings were separated and placed in multiple foster homes.

Pauline’s foster home was the neighbouring farm family. These were the same neighbours she had often gone to for food when there was none at home for her younger siblings. They had treated her repeatedly for head lice and did their best to ensure that she and her siblings were cared for, even from a distance.

She began her grade 8 year in the local one-room schoolhouse, but was unable to complete the year because she did not have winter boots to walk the distance once the snow came. Pauline’s lifelong commitment to caring for children began early in her marriage. She and her husband provided emergency care for the Children’s Aid Society placements.

When a timely permanent placement could not be found for one child, he became their adopted son. It is no surprise that some of my earliest memories are of strangers eating on the back steps of our home. I learned that these “strangers” were actually hitchhikers passing through and in need of a meal. My mother always ensured that anyone who stopped received a sandwich and a drink.

Fast forward, married with 2 children and living in Matheson, Pauline decided to complete her education. She completed her schooling through correspondence and then moved to Toronto to attend nursing school. Determined to have the education that had eluded her as a child and ensure she had skills to support herself and her family if ever needed, she was willing to make significant sacrifices. My grandmother moved in to care for us, and Pauline moved into the nursing residence in Toronto.

She graduated as a Registered Nursing Assistant (RNA) in the mid 1960’s. In 1967, the family relocated to Blind River, and Pauline secured a position as a nurse at the Blind River Hospital. Our home continued to be a refuge for countless individuals - far too many to count - all of them in some way in need of stability, support and a healthy dose of care and compassion.

In the early 1970’s, the family moved to Sault Ste Marie, where Pauline began working in the social services field. Feeling undereducated, she returned to school and earned her diploma in Social Work from Cambrian College in 1977.

From that point forward, there was no stopping her. Pauline served as the live-in staff person at the CAS Receiving Home, worked with the John Howard Society, facilitating addiction and anger management groups, acted as an Employee Assistance counsellor for several local agencies and for families of steel plant workers, and taught life skills and crisis management.

She was also deeply involved in advocacy work with Women in Crisis, Community Housing and both federal and provincial corrections. This list represents only a portion of her contributions to the City of Sault Ste Marie. She rarely declined a fundraising request and intentionally served on boards where she believed she could make the greatest impact. 

If you were homeless, struggling with anger or emotional distress, experiencing violence, unemployed, undereducated, facing mental health challenges, living with substance abuse issues, or simply in need of a hug and a listening ear, then Pauline was someone you wanted on your side. To this day, I am continually surprised by the number of people who share how she impacted their lives, directly or indirectly.

I’ve heard her referred to as “small but mighty.”

To me, she was my mother - gone far too soon at the age of sixty-nine. In Pauline’s eyes, there was no such thing as a hopeless cause, no one who wasn’t worthy of love and no one beyond forgiveness.

Roberta Wilson-Garrett (Pauline’s daughter)