Beatriz ‘Betsy’ Aya-ay Jackson. Born February 5, 1955, in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines. She passed away at age 71, on July 16, 2026 in Port Perry, Ontario, Canada, surrounded by her family. She was a loving wife to her husband, Gregorio, and an amazing mother to her two children, Mark and Megan. The youngest of 8 children, to parents Anastacio and Beatriz Badon Aya-ay. She immigrated to Canada in 1980 arriving in Twillinggate, Newfoundland. Soon after she moved to Toronto and brought her parents and husband to start a new life in Canada. She also sponsored her two brothers, Anastacio Jr. and Sergio Aya-ay in the years that followed.

She was extremely close with her family. She loved her family and friends, and planning parties and holidays. She had a huge heart and was always so generous. She loved travelling and has been to more than 50 countries. She was a great adventurer and has: swam with whale sharks in the Philippines, sailed the Fjords in Norway, hiked an active volcano in Hawaii, danced during the summer solstice in Alaska, rode a camel at the Pyramids in Egypt, explored the Ancient City of Petra in Jordan, visited the Taj Mahal in India, Machu Picchu in Peru, the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Italy, the 12 Apostles on The Great Ocean Road in Australia, the Cliffs of Moher and Knock Shrine in Ireland, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, floated in the Dead Sea in Israel, hiked up Mount Inari in Japan, wine tasted in Napa Valley California, and swam with 200 year old turtles, sealions and sharks in the Galapagos Islands.

She loved working, volunteering, organizing and attending meetings. It was her true life calling to be a nurse. She absolutely loved being a nurse and was a proud alum of Silliman University in Dumaguete City, where she graduated from the Nursing program in 1977. She worked as a Registered Nurse for over 40 years and never stopped being a nurse, even after retirement and into her final days. She earned her master’s degree in nursing from D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York, USA and graduated summa cum laude, the top of her class. She received the prestigious Outstanding Sillimanian Award in 2011 from her alma mater. She also received the Distinguished Service Award from the International Nursing Interest Group in 2026.

She was always helping others, evidenced by the numerous volunteer and special interest groups she was a part of:

RNAO – Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario as a past Director
INIG – International Nursing Interest Group Awardee
ONSUAA – Ontario Silliman University Alumni Association as a past President
SUCNAAI – Silliman University College of Nursing Alumni Association International, Inc., as a past Chair
SUACONA – Silliman University Alumni Council of North America, as a past President
SAAI - Silliman Alumni Association Incorporated as a Overseas Trustee and OSA Chairperson
St. Issac Jogues Parish Refugee Committee

She had a passion for sharing her knowledge and empowering others to chase their dreams, and she will be greatly missed by the many people she had an impact on.

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**"In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to Ovarian Cancer Canada or The Odette Cancer Centre at Sunnybrook in memory of Betsy.

The links to these organizations can be found under the Donations page located at the top right of this site. Thank you.