Bernie Cain was a man born into an
Irish-Canadian immigrant family in Quyon, Quebec in 1943. After a few years, the Cain family (father
Thomas, mother Cora, brother Allan, Bernie and sister Pauline) moved to Aylmer,
Quebec. In 1964, Bernie met Pauline Monette,
a French-Canadian woman whom he married in 1966 and with whom he enjoyed a
happy marriage until the end of his life.
Out of this union were born two girls, Cheryl (1967) and Joanne (1968). He was very proud when both his girls started
families of their own and made him a grand-pa of 4 grand-sons, Corey, Joey,
Reid and Kyle and a grand-daughter, Hayley.
Like his ancestors, Bernie was a hard
working and devoted man. He learned
early on the importance of family and responsibility. These would remain the driving forces of his
entire life. He worked hard to support
his family and to provide them with the best life possible. During his career he worked for Hillary
Cleaners, as supervisor at Coca Cola and ended his career at the department of
public works at the federal government.
In his free time Bernie developed a real
love for camping, the great outdoors and for fishing. He discovered the perfect location to enjoy
these interests: Westport, Ontario where
he spent memorable moments with his family and friends for more than 30 years.
In 2007, Bernie received the devastating
news that he had developed melanoma. He
was nonetheless determined to live his life to the fullest. As was his nature, he never complained and he
maintained his unique sense of humor, his love of life and his love for this
family and friends until the very end.
In 2009, Bernie lost his very brave battle with cancer. He died at home, as was his wish, surrounded
by his family.
Bernie's passing left a void in the lives
of his loved ones. How could this void
be filled? How could the memory of
Bernie Cain be kept alive?
His daughter Joanne who works in the health
care profession as a Registered Practical Nurse knew that more could have been
done to assist her father in the final days of his life at home and that
additional care could have been provided to make him more comfortable. How do we ensure that other people who wish
to die at home receive the care they deserve?
In answer to these questions, a foundation
in the name of Bernie Cain has been set up to provide those who wish to die at
home surrounded by their loved ones the care they need to make their final days
as comfortable as possible. The Bernie
Cain Foundation has been established to provide this service.
