Julita Bain

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Julita Bain (NEE OALICAN) on Thursday, December 12, 2024 surrounded by her family. Dear daughter to Pastor and Rosalia. Devoted sister to the late Felice, Rudy, Avelina, the late Carmen, Norma, Linda, the late Ester, Junior and Beth. Beloved wife of 58 years to Ricardo (Rick). Proud mother to Mark, Paul, Cathy, and the late Elizabeth. Adoring grandmother to Evan, Brooke, Matthew, Jordan, Holly, Vanessa, Luke, Graham, Phaedra, and great grandmother to Christian. Julita will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all her family and friends.

Our mom Julita had many facets, with each side pointing to one common denominator … a person who always put others above herself. She has been described by those who knew her as the rock of the family, the matriarch & captain, a compassionate yet tough soul, and a dependable, unwavering beacon pointing the way.

Julita was born in the Phillipines and was one of 10 children of Filipino and Hawaiian descent. She was a devoted sister, committed to helping her 9 siblings have the best life they could, and she did this the old fashioned way, before the age of Internet, cell phones and social media. She was the 2nd eldest, and as a young lady she became known as a trailblazer for those who followed. Julita left her home in Manila in 1963 and traveled to New York on a nursing exchange program. When the program ended, instead of going back home, she decided to stay, build her own life here and execute a plan of action in order give all her siblings overseas a fighting chance for a more decent life here in North America. So she moved to Toronto and started a nursing job at Toronto General, then met my father in 1964, getting married in 1966, and raising her 4 children here, all while teaming up with her husband Rick and continue helping each of her siblings (on the other side of the planet) achieve the same dream of a better future her in North America.

If you were born here in Canada or the US, or if you’ve never known the world without cell phones and the internet, then its possible that you may not understand how hard this must have been for our mom Julita at the beginning. She started off alone here in the US then Canada, using hand-written mailed letters and long-distance operator assistance to communicate with her family overseas, and yet she was able to motivate and organize her family one by one, help them get sponsored, moved and set up in the US and Canada. Today, there is a legacy of doctors, lawyers, nurses and pharmacists, and families in many other professions over more than one generation, all who can trace back their roots to this remarkable lady who helped them achieve a dream.

Now from the more personal perspective of how I knew her, she was a quintessential mother to us 4 kids. She loved all of us (husband Rick, children Elizabeth, Mark, Cathy, Paul) and she did all kinds of things big and small to remind us whenever she could. As children, my mom loved celebrating birthdays and holidays, and she would enthusiastically set up Christmas trees and Thanksgiving decoration and presents, while tirelessly preparing dinners for the friends, family and strangers who would come visit. There was always a present for everyone, even the strangers, and she was always there ready with a heartfelt hug. At New Years Eve parties at my aunt Felice’s house, she would help make sure all the guests were comfortable with food and drink, while happily chatting with her sisters about their lives and their families.

To help balance her nursing work with her duties as a mother, she worked part time hours, and so many times she would be working evenings, which meant she wasn’t home when we got home from school. But every time the kids arrived home after school, there would be a hand-written (cursive!) note on a pad of paper, with instructions on how to warm dinner, take out the trash or go pick vegetables from her beloved garden. Looking back now, what made the most impact on us was not those dinners, rather it was how she would finish each note. Back then as a teenager, I would read the note, smile, and quickly slide it aside to reach for the pizza or lasagna that she had prepared. Now thinking back, it will be those hand-written notes signed with “love you all so much” that I will cherish and miss, more than anything else.

Mom … mahal ka namin, we love you.

Family and friends will be received at Paul O’Connor Funeral Home, 1939 Lawrence Ave. E., Scarborough, on Sunday, December 15, 2024 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph’s Parish, 200 Morrish Rd., Scarborough on Monday, December 16, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. with an interment to follow at Beechwood Cemetery, 7241 Jane St, Concord.

For those who wish, donations can be made in memory of Julita to the Parkinson’s Foundation of Canada or to a charity of your choice.