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Celebration of life video: https://youtu.be/OI7fE5-R8V8
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Livestream of funeral (June 7th, 9 AM EST): TBD
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With deep love and gratitude, we remember Bernadine Naomi Taylor. She passed away peacefully on May 21, 2025, just three days after receiving a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. She was 75. Her son Dele, daughter-in-law Rhonda, and son Paul were by her side in her final days.

Bernadine was born in St. Kitts on February 8, 1950. She began her career as a nurse on the island, quickly earning respect for her skill and professionalism—so much so that doctors would ask specifically to work with her in surgery. In her early twenties, she made the courageous decision to immigrate to Canada on her own. There, she continued her work in healthcare, caring for residents in long-term care homes with the same quiet dedication that defined her life.

A fiercely hardworking single mother of two boys, Bernadine built a life marked by determination and sacrifice. She often worked three jobs to provide for her family. She bought a home where both her children and her parents could live together. She advocated fiercely to ensure her sons had access to the best education possible, regardless of school boundaries. She never focused on race or allowed them to consider how others might perceive them, instilling in them a belief that they could do anything.

Bernadine was a private woman with a big, joyful laugh and a deep love for tending to her plants. In her later years, she filled her days with friendship, quiet joys, and green life—growing plants from the seeds of fruit and propagating new ones from what already existed. She found purpose in watching things grow from the very beginning.

She remained close with her sisters Glenda and Joan, keeping in touch across the world with regular phone calls and deep affection. Joan passed away a few years ago, a loss Bernadine carried quietly but deeply. Bernadine was a proud aunt of Hewlett, Bejan, Mildred, Michelle, Beth, and Lex.

She was tough, determined, and principled. When her first son was born, she made the incredibly hard decision to have him raised in St. Kitts with her parents while she continued to build a stable life in Canada. Several years after her second son was born, she would also send him to live in St Kitts with her parents. These decisions, although difficult, were rooted in love and long-term hope for her family.

Education remained important to her throughout her life. She went back to school to retrain later in life. She spent time learning about investing, real estate, and business. She read a lot. Her home was full of books–from the classics, to cooking, to gardening, to travel. She especially had a love for languages—so much that in her final year, she took up Spanish and was making a strong showing on Duolingo.

Bernadine is survived by her sons, Dele and Paul, who carry forward the values, strength, and resilience she lived by every day of her life.

Her journey wasn’t always easy, but she persevered—for herself, and for her boys. That quiet endurance, and all it made possible, is the legacy she leaves behind.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations to go to The Scott Mission, Southlake Hospital or Women’s College Hospital.