Roberta Place resident Margaret Dynes is being remembered by her family as a hard worker, independent and strong, but also tough when the circumstances required.
Pat Fergusson’s 83-year-old mother died Jan. 23 after residing at Roberta Place in south-end Barrie for the last two-and-a-half years. Dynes tested positive for COVID-19 on Jan. 12 and died almost two weeks later.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit declared an outbreak at the long-term care home on Jan. 8. More than 60 residents have died after contracting the virus at the Essa Road facility.
During a conversation with BarrieToday, Fergusson said her tears were those of joy as she remembered the wonderful times she shared with her mom.
“She absolutely loved getting out of the home for our food dates and to get our nails done,” she said. “I looked forward to it as well; just her and I spending that time together was wonderful.”
Dynes had always lived in and around the Barrie area — particularly Elmvale and Oro-Medonte — except during her journey to the United States, where she lived for a number of years.
While the family often vacationed in Florida, Fergusson said it was her mom’s disdain for something very Canadian that made her want to head down there.
“Mom hated Canadian winters; she did not like the cold,” Fergusson said. “She always said one day she’d find a way to live there.”
That 'one day' came about when the U.S. was in a nursing crisis and was looking for people to fill much-needed spots.
“Mom went to Georgian College for a nursing course and then started working at the old Royal Victoria Hospital,” said Fergusson. “When she got down to Florida, she actually didn’t work that long as a nurse and switched to real estate.”
Fergusson said her mom was a natural real-estate agent, especially for how the industry was in the 1970s and ’80s.
“It was the wild west back then. The laws were a lot different than they are now,” she said. “If people didn't pay rent, you could kick them out. Mom would wait until someone was out, change their locks and neatly pile their stuff out front.
"She was a wonderful person, but could be tough when needed.”
Fergusson, who is also a real-estate agent in the Simcoe County area, took the course with her mother and they passed it together in 1979.
As a predominantly single mom, Dynes raised Fergusson and her two siblings with a determination Fergusson feels she got from her mother.
“Mom was a hard-working woman. She could do anything, from nursing to real estate to cement mixing,” she said. “She was only five-foot-five, but she was a real go-getter.”
Dynes moved into Roberta Place in September 2018 and, while relatively healthy, was dealing with dementia.
Fergusson said it was hard to bring her mom back from a day out together as Dynes didn’t want to go back to the long-term care home at the end of the visit.
“It was nothing against Roberta Place. It truly wasn’t. It was just that she sometimes didn’t know why she had to go back and it wasn’t her home as she remembered,” Fergusson said. “I’m realizing now, because of the Roberta Place Facebook page, just how much she did enjoy it.”
The Barrie Is Here For You Roberta Place Facebook group has been a way for residents, families and staff to keep in touch as the long-term care home deals with the devastating effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Fergusson is getting a glimpse now of how her mom’s life was inside the home when she wasn’t with her.
“When I would come visit Mom, the staff would say how much they loved her, but it was always so quick as they were busy,” she said. “Now I’m seeing posts about how much they really did like her. And from a post, I’m finding out that she had a friend there that she was inseparable from.
"It's emotional, for sure, and I’m glad she did enjoy her time there.”
