Nadezhda "Nadia" Skutelsky

Passed away on February 10, 2024 at the age of 68 at St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph.

Wife to Bert Bodner. Mother to Daniel (Sarah) and Michelle Joy (David). Grandmother to Scarlett, Arianna and Maxwell. Sister to Vera Pengerote. Predeceased by her father George Sr. Manuhos, her mother Alexandra Manuhos (nee Repik) and her brother George Jr. Manuhos. Will be missed by all her friends and extended family.

After immigrating to Canada from Riga, Latvia, Nadia attended York University where she completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in psychology. This would lay the groundwork for her passion in Social Work. Together with her husband they worked as foster parents for over decade after which she made the transition to Halton Children's Aid Society. Throughout her career as a Family Support Worker at CAS, Nadia touched countless lives with her tireless dedication to helping children and families in need. Her unwavering commitment to her work left an indelible mark on her community, earning her the respect and admiration of all who knew her.

Nadia had a deep love for beauty and nature, often the two in combination. She had a real panache for style, accumulating over 200 fashions scarves that she enjoyed distributing among her friends and family in her first weeks in palliative care. Often proclaiming “you’re doing it wrong; THIS is how you tie it properly”, she was never shy to provide a critique on your outfit. Similarly, she loved the beauty in nature with a deep love of flowers, she would often stop to appreciate them on her countless walk at one of her favourite places, Rockwood Conservation Area. Ironically her sensitivity to smells often made purchasing flowers a disaster as they mostly triggered her allergies indoors.

Her joie de vivre was cut short after a long and difficult battle with breast cancer. She put up a valiant fight, over eight years with the hopes of being the rare individual to beat stage four metastatic breast cancer. In the last year when reality set in that she could not beat the spreading cancer, she dug in her heels and in typical fashion refused to believe the end was near. It was through the encouragement of her dear friend Vanessa Box Jones that she agreed to go into palliative care at St. Joseph’s Hospital. It is important to recognize the kindness and dedication that was shown to her during her final three months by the amazing nurses and doctors. Her devoted husband Bert sat by her side every day and was comforted by visits from her family and close friends during her stay and he was with her in her final hours.

Although her passing brings mixed emotions to those who knew her intimately, there is no denying that she lived her life on her terms, a strut on the catwalk with her head always held high.

Resting at Gilbert MacIntyre & Son Funeral Home, Dublin Chapel, 252 Dublin St. N. Guelph, where a private family service has taken place. A Celebration of Nadia's life will take place later on in the spring at Rockwood Conservation Area. Please keep an eye out on this page for details.

In lieu of flowers the family asks to please make donations in memory of Nadia Skutelsky to the Children’s Aid Foundation of Halton.