"Drive Stephen Harper from office" reads woman's obituary

Mary Catherine Finn passed away on July 19, but had some rather strong words to say about the federal government in her obituary printed in The Globe and Mail.

The Peterborough, Ontario native passed away peacefully in her sleep in Toronto, but she seems to be creating quite a stir.

“In lieu of donations, Catherine would want you to do everything you can to drive Stephen Harper from office, right out of the country, and into the deep blue sea if possible. Also, she would like you to fix the CBC.”

Finn was described in her obituary as having “a sharp wit and steely backbone that can only come from growing up as a woman in the Irish Catholic tradition of the middle 20th Century.”

We can tell.

And in case you were wondering, she also thought “Margaret Atwood was vastly overrated and Margaret Laurence equally underrated,” and was a “connoisseur of words.”

Here’s the full obituary:

June 6, 1943 to July 19, 2015. Aged 72 years. Born: Peterborough, Ontario. Died: Toronto, Ontario. She passed away quietly in her sleep.

Catherine was born with a sharp wit and steely backbone that can only come from growing up as a woman in the Irish Catholic tradition of the middle 20th Century. She was a voracious reader, a lover of life, and a fearless defender of the world of ideas. She loved family, fine wine and good food, in that order, preferably shared over a candle-lit table with good music and excellent company.

She met the love of her life, Gerry, during high school and they married shortly thereafter. Their life-long relationship was a true partnership and they brought out the best in each other. She made many sacrifices in life so that her three sons could benefit in ways that she did not. By her example she instilled in each of them love for the arts, passion for social justice, and humility in generosity. Her six grandchildren brought her enormous joy and were her favourite subject of conversation.

A connoisseur of words, she would want you to know that she always believed Margaret Atwood was vastly overrated and Margaret Laurence equally underrated. In lieu of donations, Catherine would want you to do everything you can to drive Stephen Harper from office, right out of the country, and into the deep blue sea if possible. Also, she would like you to fix the CBC.

She is predeceased by her husband. Gerald ‘Gerry’ Finn; her parents, James and Kathleen (née O’Leary) McCormick; and her sister, Mary Frances. She is survived by her siblings, Barbara, Robert and Peter; her three sons, Patrick, Andrew (Evelyn Paris), and Jonathan (Janice Maarhuis); and six beautiful grandchildren, Molly, Max, Elliott, Thomas, Naomi and Neve.

We miss her so much. You were one of the good ones mom. We love you.

Donations to St. Joseph’s Health Centre are most welcome:http://www.foundation.stjoe.on.ca/