It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Valerie MacKay.  Val fought a long and courageous battle with complex health issues and passed peacefully at Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock, B.C. after a sudden serious setback.

She leaves behind her best friend and loving husband Don, as well as her beloved son Mark and daughter-in-law Deb, her cherished grandson Liam and his partner Isabel, all residing in southern Ontario, and brothers Murray and Allen Bureyko, both  in Edmonton.  Val enjoyed a large extended family that included stepdaughter Gaylene Godin in Calgary, sisters-in-law Thelma Newbury and her husband John in Cloverdale, Margaret Weller in Maine, Shari MacKay in Florida, and Allison Bloomer and her husband Graham in Winnipeg.  And of course there are numerous much-loved nieces and nephews spread across several countries that she always kept on top of.  Passing before Val were her parents Peter Bureyko and Catherine Dennis, her stepmother Julia, brother Ken Bureyko, stepson Kevin MacKay, and brothers-in-law Donald Weller and George MacKay.

Val had a long and distinguished career as an executive within the provincial Manitoba government in various senior Health Service roles and later ran the Pine Falls Hospital and was a Board member on the local credit union prior to her retirement.

Val and Don enjoyed many special times with friends and family at the home they constructed at Ironwood Point in Traverse Bay, Manitoba after moving full-time to cottage country from Winnipeg.

Retired, they later embraced a new chapter in White Rock, B.C., where they enjoyed their new home and walking the beach year round with their dogs and spending more time with other close family members already settled there. Not one to slow down, Val enjoyed the more temperate climate tending her gardens,  and later volunteering with the RCMP and Darts Hill Garden Park  once they converted over to a condo lifestyle.  While downsizing their residence, Don and Val upgraded their RV and enjoyed taking off to favourite haunts and jazz festivals.  And there was always frequent travels back east to see family and to attend any planned special gatherings of one clan or another.

Val had an enviable sense of personal style, was a talented decorator and was close to many special friends.  Leaving a legacy with which to aspire, we will all miss her inner strength and fortitude, her joy of the good things in life and her guidance to the things that are important.

In remembrance of her life, donations to either the The Kidney Foundation of Canada  or  Peace Arch Hospital Foundation in White Rock would be appreciated at either of the provided links as follows: