Bernice McCarthy Sintzel

On May 1, 2019, Bernice Margaret McCarthy Sintzel joined her mother Margaret, father Denis, and brothers Terence and Denis and husband Jim.

Her brothers Diarmuid and Kevin in Australia, her immediate family and many cousins, nieces and nephews in Ireland and Australia all join the family in celebrating the life of an extraordinary, courageous and passionate woman.

Bernice came to Canada at the age of 19 and quickly established herself at a major PR firm. Soon after she met Jim, a young law student, they married and had their four children Meg (Ian Fodie), Siobhan, Patricia (Darryl Fletcher) and Joe (Laurie).

Bernice continued to work in PR for many years including building her own successful firm. Always the entrepreneur Bernice also had a successful esthetics business for many years as well as a fundraising and event planning business.

She loved the arts and found the time to perform in the theatre while juggling family and business. She was active in the community, an early volunteer for the Brazilian Ball and Variety Village. Bernice was passionate about life, politics and loved to debate ideas. She established many life-long friendships through politics, and her extensive community and charity work.

Bernice was most proud of her four children, her grandchildren Lauren Rayner (Marty Peterman), Benjamin Rayner, Cameron and Madeleine Sintzel and Dayna Fodie. She delighted in her great granddaughter Ellinor Peterman and was thrilled to have hosted a special blessing for Ellinor in her final days.

Bernice will be remembered by all who knew her as kind, compassionate, generous, loving, patient, courageous, smart and articulate with a scrabble vocabulary that was second to none and a wicked sense of humour. She is an inspiration to all who knew her.

A funeral mass will be held on Friday May 10, 2019 at 11:00 A.M. at St. Paul's Basilica, 83 Power Street, Toronto. A celebration of life to follow at The Albany Club, 91 King Street East, Toronto, from 3-5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to St. Michael's Hospital Toronto, or Innisfree House, Cambridge Ontario.

Visit www.henrywalser.com for Bernice's memorial.