Friends, family and members of St. George’s Cathedral are mourning the death of one of Kingston’s longest living residents, who died over the Thanksgiving long weekend.
Margaret Cruickshank, who turned 110 this year, was born in Dover, England, but moved to Kingston when she was four years old. She stayed in Kingston the rest of her life, raising three children, and for the last 105 years, Cruickshank has been a major figure at St. George’s Cathedral.
According to Donald Davidson, the parish’s priest, Cruickshank attended her last service on Oct. 6, right before her health took a rapid turn for the worse.
Throughout the last week of her life, Cruickshank had been visited by a steady stream of friends and family who were able to pay their final respects, Davidson says.
Cruikshank died on Monday around 1 p.m.
The Cathedral often held birthday parties for Cruickshank in her later years. An email sent out to staff on Tuesday from the church said Cruickshank “took great pleasure in celebrating her birthdays with the children of St. George’s Sunday school and nursery.”
The email also described her as having a “keen wit and generosity of spirit.”
Cruickshank’s funeral will be held at the Cathedral on Monday, Oct. 21, at 1 p.m., with a reception to be held at the back of the church afterward.