Alice (née O'Brien) Kavanagh

Alice Kavanagh (nee O’ Brien), of Caplin Bay (Calvert, NL) drew her last peaceful breath on April 27, 2026. Days shy of 95, she left this world with gratitude, with friends and family by her side, after a life lived chock full of purpose.

Born on May 26, 1931, Mother sailed on the tides of many loves and losses. Throughout her voyage, she loved well and was much loved in return. She was predeceased in 1999 by Tom, her husband and partner of 49 years, her daughters Mary Frances and Carlie, parents Denis and Mary O’Brien, parents-in-law Johnny and Mary Kavanagh, grandson Adam, sons-in-law Charlie Gosse and Rick Giles, nine siblings (Pauline, Hilda, Ellen, Winifred, Michael, Eugene, Catherine, Colette, Desales), and eleven siblings-in-law (Sr. Colette, Martin, Francis, Clarence, Peter, Ernest, Patrick, Catherine, Alphonsus, Ambrose and Angela).

Left to cherish her memory are her surviving 13 children and 38 grand-children: Florence (Frank Dalton, Brian, Francis and Joey), Graham (Wanda, Scott, Colin, Sandra, April, Graham Francis, and Mandy), Doris (Doug Boland, Bonita, Corina, and Douglas), Mary Alice (Brendan Walsh, Marsha, Laura, Erin, Megan, Jennifer and Christopher), Tommy (Kelly and Samantha), Philomena (Rick French, Jillian, Gregory and Lacey), Daphne (Christopher, Jessica, Suzannah and Leon), Bernice (Keith Poole, Michael, Nikita, and Matthew), Judy (Brian Bell, Allison, Joshua, Luke, and Morgan), John (Mary and Eddie), Lisa (Don Menchion, Caitlin and Evan), Kim, and Kelly (Jonathan McVicar, Nathaniel and James), 42 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren. She is also mourned by her dear and only surviving sister Catherine Woodburn (Massachusetts) and sister-in-law Regina O’Brien (Cape Broyle). 

Mother was an inspiration. Through hard times, she was resilient, resourceful, and resolute. A great provider for her big family, she worked tirelessly without complaint to take care of others. She ran a community convenience store from our home, learned how to sew and make our clothes when there were many clothes to make, easily improvised and made from scratch just about anything we ever needed, grew vegetables, and raised chickens and sheep to fill our plates and bellies. Our petite mother was also a pioneer woman, showing by example that a woman of any time can be both beautiful and strong and capable of more than what is expected. She built physical activity and outdoor pursuits into her daily routine long before it was cool to “get physical”. Most significantly, Mother worked with our father as a proud and committed gillnet fisherperson when women were neither socially nor financially rewarded for doing a “man’s work”. She helped lobby for women’s labour rights and she became the first federally recognized fisherwoman in NL.  As if that wasn’t impressive enough, she would often end each hard day of fishing by mending gillnets, tending to the flakes, or sawing logs with Father at the family sawmill. No day was then fully complete without her freshly baked pans of bread and a hearty meal for a full table of children. Our mother was something else.

No matter how busy or tired, she remarkably also had the gift of finding joy and peace in the simple things in life. Discovering a bird’s nest, trouting on a pond, baking fresh mini blueberry tarts for grandkids, snuggling up with cats, playing cards with family at a kitchen table, dancing to a Newfoundland waltz, teaching her daughters the art of gardening, watching the summer sunrise from out on the boat, and getting a new pink nail polish manicure. When her youngest children had grown, she eagerly volunteered as a Eucharistic Minister and Sacristan at Holy Family Parish and Treasurer for The Glad Greeter’s Senior’s Club and she became a cherished Mrs. Claus in numerous community parades and school events.  Mother volunteered because she loved her community and she believed in the importance of “doing one’s part”.  

Special thanks to all the wonderfully kind people of Calvert - so many to mention! Mother was always so appreciative of your thoughtfulness and friendship and she loved “going home”. She enjoyed her time with all the parishioners and priests of Holy Family Parish, her dancing partners and card game friends along the Southern Shore, the unbelievably caring workers and friends at Alderwood Estates Retirement Home, and her retirement home roommate and great friend Betty Sutton who brought such camaraderie to the final years of Mother’s life. 

Right to the end, as Mother's dementia and hearing loss progressed, she continued to teach us that love, humour, and positivity can guide us through many obstacles and hardships. 

For she is woman, Woman of the Island,

strong as the ocean, solid as the rock in a raging storm.

She’s our yesterday and she’s our tomorrow.

~lyrics by Dolores (Kavanagh) Hynes

Resting at Ryan’s Funeral Home, Bay Bulls. Visitation will on Thursday, April 30, from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 am on Friday, May 1, 2026 at Immaculate Conception Church, Northside Road, Calvert with interment to follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery, Ferryland. 

*For those unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed with the link available below.*

If friends so desire, donations in Alice’s memory may be made to Immaculate Conception Church, Northside Road, Calvert.

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