Long-time resident gives back in honour of wife
Though they met as strangers on a blind date in 1956, John and Patricia McCutcheon shared a lifetime of adventure and fond memories, setting down deep roots within the Uxbridge community and making it a home for more than four decades.
“We still had a place in the city, but there was always something special about Uxbridge,” says John. “It felt quiet and private but filled with wonderful people who became some of our closest friends.
“Pat took a particular interest in the animal shelter while the area allowed us to enjoy the great outdoors, becoming involved in conservation and developing the growing network of walking and hiking trails throughout the Township.”
Over their many years in Uxbridge, the couple also came to rely on our Uxbridge Hospital and its complement of services – as well as the extensive network it provided access to – for their health care needs.
“The doctors, nurses, and staff always took special care of Pat, especially in her final days,” says John. “Many of them were members of the community themselves, and we were both grateful for their compassion and kindness.
“For us and our neighbours, it was comforting and meaningful to know that Uxbridge Hospital was always right around the corner.”
After 64 years of marriage and a growing family that included three children and nine grandchildren, Patricia passed away in 2019.
“The doctors, nurses, and staff always took special care of Pat, especially in her final days. Many of them were members of the community themselves, and we were both grateful for their compassion and kindness.”
John McCutcheon
To honour her memory, and to recognize and sustain a high quality of care close to home, John decided to give back to Uxbridge Hospital by making a bequest in his will.
Through the Patricia Gail McCutcheon Scholarship Fund, the couple’s legacy will support the ongoing education of nurses and allied health professionals, a profession Patricia herself had once pursued.
The endowment fund will also support the annual priority needs of the hospital for many years to come.
“Patricia had been a nurse in training for two years at Toronto General Hospital, but after we were married, she decided to stay home to raise our family instead,” says John. “Still, she always had a passion for medicine and helping people, and this was my way of carrying on her legacy for a community that meant so much to us.
“Uxbridge stands behind this hospital 100 per cent, and I wanted to do my part so these up-and-coming doctors and nurses can set down their own deep roots here.”
A version of this story appeared in Uxbridge Hospital Foundation’s holiday 2023 newsletter Our Community. Your Impact.