Yvonne E. Saunders Sinnott

August 22, 1941 - December 4, 2022
In loving memory ~
Yvonne E. Saunders - Sinnott passed peacefully in Qualicum Beach, BC December 4th 2022 with gratitude to MaiD. Yvonne lived 70 years with numerous serious illnesses and lots of pain.
She was born on Bell Island, Newfoundland to Eric Saunders and Maggie (nee Rose) August 22 1941.
Cancer claimed two husbands. William A. (Bill) Sinnott Sr. of St. John's, NL in 1990 and Alan Withington of BC in 2002. She was also predeceased by her parents and numerous aunts and uncles. She leaves to mourn siblings Gerald (Alice) Saunders, Ruby Hiscock (John), Sylvia Knight (John deceased), Ronald (Joy) Saunders and Gloria Robbins (Rick) all in NL; a special Aunt, Mildred Kennedy, Uncle Fred Rose and Aunt Effie Rose (Melvin deceased) of Salmon Cove; special nieces Charmaine Hynes (Glenn) and Annette Ruby (Robert) and numerous other nieces, nephews and other family members in Newfoundland, Neil in BC and many friends in Mesa, AZ where she wintered for 28 years.
Yvonne moved from Bell Island to Toronto in 1960 and worked in Banking for 24 years, attended University of Toronto for evening courses (two with honors), returned to NL due to illness and subsequently, met her devoted, loving husband Bill Sinnott. Shortly after his passing, she purchased a motor home and drove alone across Canada to Vancouver Island, BC, where she lived 28 summers and her last 4 complete years.
She always volunteered and was passionate about helping others and being an advocate for female customers in the Bank when a woman was unable to qualify for a credit card without a husband. She was a member of The Junior Board of Trade (Jaycees) in Toronto; with the Business and Professional Women's Group and in St. John's, the Founder and President of The Signal Hill Jaycees. Her enthusiasm encouraged many successful projects in St. John's and many made the front page of the St. John's newspaper, earning her an International Award of JCI Senatorship # 31136 for accomplishments. Yvonne presented Terry Fox with her personal cheque as his first donation and eagerly initiated a fund raiser with numerous businesses in St. John's, including the NL Constabulary for Terry after he began his trip across Canada in 1980. She held positions of Canada Day Chairman; Chair of St. John's Day which included organizing the Royal visit of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1983; Program Chairman YM/YWCA St. John's; President of the Victorian Order of Nurses; Treasurer for the Botanical Garden and many more, while also taking courses at Memorial University, dealing with cancer, subsequent surgery and her father's sudden passing.
She also spear headed a fund raising campaign in Mesa, AZ to purchase two 14 passenger buses within two years to take people to and from church. Then she drove the bus for many years. She managed a food drive for 8 years in Mesa for the United Food Bank. She also introduced this project to Knox United Church in Parksville, BC which continues to this day. In Mesa she was on the Board of the Mesa Regal Computer Club for 12 years bringing in guest speakers, including the FBI twice to keep residents informed and aware of any malware and computer related threats and to provide sufficient information for residents to make informed decisions about joining Social Media when it first originated. She was often considered an official tour guide for visitors in Mesa. She loved finding and exploring new places, especially off the 'beaten path'.
At Knox United church in Parksville, with the support of Rev. Foster Freed, Yvonne became the Founder and Facilitator of the Knox Grief Group which met weekly for 14 years. She volunteered at Milner Woodland Gardens for 13 years (prior to Covid) as a Docent (historian) and with the RCMP (now Oceanside Safety) also for over 13 years. In recent years, she became a baby cuddlier with the SOS. She loved new experiences. traveled 22 countries, often alone, and she always enjoyed helping people and learning about her family history. Her Genealogy collection of over 50 years will be donated to the NL Family History Genealogy Society.
Cremation has taken place. Service will be held at St. Stephen's United Church in Qualicum Beach, Tuesday, December 13th at 1PM. A recording of the service will be made available, later in the week, through the website of www.ststephensucqualicum.ca
A service will be held in St. John's, Newfoundland at a time to be announced by the family. Inurnment will be beside her loving husband William A. Sinnott at Forest Rd Cemetery in St. John's.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine or the charity of your choice.