Sara Pringle (Hall) McCaig

McCaig, Sarah (Sally) Pringle (nee Hall)

June 27, 1925 – May 10, 2020

Mother, Grammy, Sally passed away peacefully at the Northumberland Heights Hospital a month shy of her 95th birthday, in the community where she was born and loved, Cobourg, ON.

Sally is preceded by her parents Thomas Field (TF) Hall, K.C., and Edna Elizabeth Hall, her sister Elizabeth (Betty), and her devoted husband and friend John (Bud) Herbert McCaig.

Across an accomplished life, she was most proud of her family, as mother to her 5 children, Susan (Bob), David (Juan), Tim, Bruce and Dan, grandmother, great-grandmother and Aunt.

An inexhaustible source of community history – from legal precedents to local folklore – Sally embodied much of the community she loved and took a special joy from sitting on her veranda, surrounded by family and a flowering garden, enjoying the breeze from the Cobourg beach.

A trailblazer and free-thinker who relished political discussions and quick wit, Sally was an avid reader, always ready to share a thoughtful opinion on current events. Unconfined by the world as it existed, Sally preferred instead to fight for the world that could be. Throughout her life, Sally was a fearless social advocate and animal lover who brought energy and generosity to many charitable and social causes – earning the Ontario Lifestyle Award for her advocacy to improve living conditions for persons with developmental challenges.

Sally had an uncommon talent for transforming passions into roles that were not traditionally held by women. A love of swimming led to becoming the first woman lifeguard for the area and when it was not possible to certify as a female commercial pilot in Canada, Sally quickly achieved her credentials in Florida, working commercially with a license held by only a handful of female pilots in the world.

This determination and passion has been a lasting example and legacy to her family and, while families grow and change, our shared stories will always connect us.

Due to current social distancing restrictions, a private service is to be scheduled. Instead of flowers, Sally would be best honoured by an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness to someone in her name.