August 26, 1938 – August 10, 2026
Nellie Mary Marcotte (Nee; Ruparcic) passed away peacefully at Thunder Bay Regional Health Centre with family by her side on August 10, 2026.
She was born on August 26, 1938 in Sudbury, Ontario, where she grew up in The Donovan and went to Sudbury High.
Nellie is preceded in death by her loving husband and soulmate Ernie, along with her brother Anthony (Tony) and sister Sophie. She is survived by her sons Dan (Susanne), Doug, and Jason (Leeann), as well as four grandchildren: Christopher, Rachelle, Hilary, and Patrick.
Nellie had a passion for singing. As a teenager, she often performed with her younger sister Sophie at local dances and cultural events in Sudbury. She met her future husband Ernie (a Gatchell boy) in a charming way. After seeing the sisters perform at a local event, he found out how to contact her through an advertising poster and the phone book. He bravely called her up; however, Nellie misheard his last name thinking it belonged to someone from school who had a similar name. She happily agreed to the date over the phone. When Ernie showed up on the right night unexpectedly, she felt unsure but Grandma had good instincts about people and encouraged them both to go out together. That was the start of a beautiful love story that lasted over 70 years.
Besides being an incredible Mom, Wife and Homemaker, Nellie was also very active in crafts and community activities. She excelled at everything she tried-from copper tooling to knitting, crochet to traditional rug hooking-and even became known as a curling enthusiast along with being part of CWL and being a Hockey Mom. She played an important role in numerous family projects including home renovations and expansions DIY style, garden landscaping-she truly loved gardening-and constructing their cottage on beautiful Manitoulin Island…a place that held a special place in her heart.
Amidst all these activities, she also worked outside of home as a legal secretary during her early adult life before becoming an administrative assistant later on.
In recent years she faced some challenges due to age-related issues and chronic health conditions. Despite this adversity, she always engaged actively with those around her while remaining cheerful and gentle.
The family expresses their gratitude to Nellie’s Bayshore Nurse Paula for the dedicated care and support provided over the past several years.
Cremation has taken place. A Life Celebration service along with Interment for both Nellie and Ernie will be held at a later date.
Mom:
We Love you in Big Ways
We Love you in Small Ways
We Love you this Minute
And We’ll Love You
ALWAYS
She is deeply missed.
