Rita MacNeil, the beloved Nova Scotian singer-songwriter whose sweet voice has charmed Canadians for decades, is being remembered for her enduring perseverance and sense of humour.
“What a legacy she has left for us,” Laura Lewis, MacNeil’s daughter said at her mother’s intimate funeral service on Monday in Cape Breton, N.S.
The service was attended by family and friends at St. Mary’s Parish in her hometown of Big Pond, where a portrait of the late singer overlooked a white teapot filled with her ashes.
The 68-year-old Canadian icon passed away last Tuesday following complications from surgery.
Lewis said her mother had a “wonderful” sense of humour. “She showed us that humour and laughter is a wonderful coping mechanism in hard times.”
Although blessed with a powerful voice, the talented songstress did not immediately find a place on Canada’s music charts. After moving to Toronto at the age of 17, MacNeil was forced to work as a retail clerk and cleaning woman while she moonlighted as a singer.
MacNeil has also admitted to suffering from self-confidence issues stemming from abuse she suffered as a child, as well as her weight.
But despite the challenges, MacNeil always loved to laugh, Lewis said, sharing a note her mother penned last summer to both her and her brother in the event of her death.
“Upon my death, I want to be cremated immediately. My ashes to be place in my tearoom teapot – two if necessary.”
“I want my song Weary Travelers to be played, a party at the fire hall to be followed with a cash bar and my nieces and nephews to play … My ashes to be scattered around my tea room. You’re welcome to use this tea pot if we run out of clean ones at the Tea Room. Oops. Love mum.”
The note drew laughter from the guests at the funeral service, many of whom knew MacNeil personally both as a singer and as a generous host.
In 1982, MacNeil converted a one-room school house in Cape Breton into the Tea Room, where guests could enjoy a cup of tea and listen to music. According to MacNeil’s website, a concert series with performances celebrating her music is scheduled to take place this summer at the intimate venue.
MacNeil was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1992 and the Order of Nova Scotia in 2005. She has won several awards, including female vocalist of the year at the 1990 Junos.
With files from the Canadian Press
