www.insideHALTON.com |OAKVILLE BEAVER |Thursday, January 19, 2017 |6 S p o tlig h t "C o n n e c t e d t o y o u r C o m m u n i t y ' ' R .I .P . D E A R G R A C E EVERY D AY YOU W ERE T H ER E E V E R Y W A Y Y O U D ID C A R E T R E A T S IN Y O U R P O C K E T S FO R A L L D O G S T O S H A R E YO U K N E W U S BY N A M E IT W O N T BE T H E S A M E W IT H O U T YOU R ET U R N IN G S T R A Y B A L L S TO T H E G A M E THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH "THANK YOUS -* V - TO SAY WHAT IS TRUE AT THE FALGARWOOD CROSSWALK EVERY DAY WE'LL MISS YOU! Metroland Media | Nathan Howes/Metroland Grace Wake, a long-time crossing guard in the Falgarwood community, was a friend to one and all. Wake, who died earlier this month, was known for her kindness to students, parents and all the family pets that crossed her intersection over the years. Crossing guard one-of-a-kind andwill be missed byall continued from p.1 "She knew them all as they grew older and what grades they were in. She knew de tails that w e couldn't even believe. She knew where everybody was at," said Reid. "If the kids played longer, she seemed to hang around longer." "She had the biggest heart. She was never not smiling. She loved her job. She was pas sionate. She had the best sense of humour." Referring to Wake as a "neighbourhood grandma," Reid was devastated by the news of the crossing guard' s passing. "There is a great void. It' s a great loss for this neighbourhood. I don't know how they're possibly going to replace her. It' s just not going to be the same. It' s going to be really weird," said Reid. Cyprianne Nolan, w ho knew Wake for eight years and has two children at Falgar w ood Public School, was also saddened by the news of Wake' s death. "Everybody thought she was going to live forever," said Nolan. "Everybody feels it. The kids feel it. The parents feel it. Nobody is going to come close to what she did for everybody. She knew every kid' s name." "You always felt safe w hen Grace was here," said Nolan, describing Wake' s caring nature when she greeted children at the intersection. "You always knew your kids were going to be watched and looked after," said Nolan, noting Wake even knitted sweaters for her children and a hat for her. "She wouldn't accept help from anybody. Everybody would be offering to clear her driveway and cut her grass, but she wasn't having any part of it." Everybody thought she was going to live forever. Everybody feels it. The kids feel it. The parents feel it. Nobody is going to come close to what she did for everybody. She knew every kid's name. You always felt safe when Grace was here. You always knew your kids were going to be watch and looked after. 99 Cyprianne Nolan Oakville resident In a 2012 Beaver interview, Wake said she enjoyed the job because she loved the children and it got her out of the house three times a day. Having been in the same location for a de cade, she said she could go another 10 years. "It doesn't matter how cold it is, I just love being with the kids and they're so polite," Wake told the Beaver. "I've always loved kids and animals. I feel like you can trust them." Sylvia Dodds, principal at Falgarwood Pub lic School, said everyone at the school is "very sad with the news of Grace' s passing." Wake was "very much" a part of the Falgar w ood community. "She was very kind. She treated all the children who she helped cross the road as her own. Everybody has said, `What a loving, kind and wonderful lady she was.' We will all miss her," said Dodds. see Crossing on p.7 LIE > m e t r o la n d m e d ia O P C Ontario Press Council Defending principles lo inspire public trust Beaver. Volume 55 | Number 1 O ak ville B eaver is a m em ber of the O n tario Press C ou ncil. T h e council is located at 80 G ou ld St., Suite 206, T oron to, O n t., M 5B 2M 7. P hone (416) 340-1981. A d vertising is accepted on the condition that, inthe event of a typographical erro r, that p ortion of advertisingspace occupied b ythe erroneous item , together w ith a reasonable allow ance forsignature, w ill not be charged fo r, but the balance of the advertisem ent w ill be paid forat the applicable rate. T h e publisher reserves the righ t to categorize advertisem ents o r decline. E d ito ria l and advertising content of the O ak ville B eaver is protected b y cop yrigh t. U n authorized use is prohib ited . Editorial Department Advertising AdvertisingDepartment Department Classified Classif ed Advertising Circulation: Circulation: 5 53 30 00 0 Harvester Harvester Rd., Rd., Burlington Burlington NEIL OLIVER Vice -President and Group Publisher KELLY MONTAGUE Regional General Manager DANIEL BAIRD Director of Advertising ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington (905) 845-3824 (905) 845-3824 (905) 845-3824 (905) 632-4440 (905) 631-6095