Ivy Josephine Penney

Ivy Josephine Penney passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 13, 2023 after a lengthy bout of pneumonia. Ivy was predeceased by her husband Cecil Charles Burns, her brothers Charles and Cecil Penney and her sister Jessie Hillier. She is survived by her siblings Joyce Woodland (Wally), Stanley Penney (Eileen) and June Penny-Lynk, her children Cecil Burns (Theresa), Mark Burns (Cheryl), Deborah Walker (Maurice) and David Burns, her grandchildren James (Nicole), Paul (Viviane), Robert, Christopher, Ashlee and Mia and her great-grandchildren Hunter, Mackenzie and Jack.

Ivy was born in New Waterford Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and moved to Ontario in the early 1950s. She lived most of her life with her immediate family in Wasaga Beach, Ontario. Ivy loved the sun and the beach and was an avid skier most of her adult life. She was a gifted seamstress and could often be found at her sewing machine creating stylish clothing for herself and others.

In the 1970’s she studied at Georgian College, receiving a diploma in Residential Counseling which led to a career working with developmentally challenged adults at the Edgar Adult Occupational Centre. After she retired, she enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren as well as hitting the casino in Orillia with her friends. She moved back to Cape Breton for a short while, but missed her home in Wasaga Beach and returned to enjoy her life there until she couldn’t manage on her own after a series of small strokes. She spent her final days at the Grove Park Nursing Home in Barrie, Ontario.

Ivy was born on Remembrance Day and left this world on Friday the 13th – a unique lady; she made sure she would be remembered.

At her request cremation has occurred and there will be no funeral. A Celebration of Life will be held this coming summer at a date yet to be determined. Donations in her name can be made to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.

Prayers and Hearts

In our prayers and hearts you’ll be

If not for you, there was no me

When the branches of our family tree grow long

We know it’s your roots that keep us strong

As the earth absorbs your love

We’ll know it’s you that guides us from above

The wind it blows our ashes fast

But in our hearts your love will last

We’ll see you in our children’s eyes

Their smiling faces

Their longing cries

They say that time heals all wounds

But in our hearts it won’t be soon

So in our prayers and hearts you’ll be

For as long as branches

Grow on our tree.

A poem written by David Burns for our mother, Ivy Penney