A late woman who dedicated over 40 years to volunteering at St. Mary’s General Hospital is being remembered for her continued contributions to the community.
Madeleine Haller died on Feb. 14, at the age of 97.
“Amazing that she died on Valentine’s Day because she loved so many people,” said Anita Stalzer, Haller’s friend.
Haller’s legacy in the community, especially at St. Mary’s General Hospital is still strong. She lived near the hospital and volunteered there for over 40 years.
“A remarkable woman. She had a vision for this place, and she is greatly missed,” said Pauline Rasmussen, manager of volunteer resources at St. Mary’s General Hospital.
“Super important. It was her passion project. She just absolutely loved it and thrived on it. The friendships that she made with all the volunteers and her team, she was so dedicated,” Ann Haller-Lovell, Madeleine’s daughter said.
Haller’s volunteer work at the hospital centred around the gift shop, which sells items to raise money for the hospital. The shop was eventually named ‘Madeleine’s’ after Haller, following renovations on the building.
“In the past, it was just a little piece of the hospital. Then they built the addition in 2003. So, she was kind of the creator of what you see here today,” Rasmussen said.
Haller was known for always trying to bring unique items into the store, while also lending an ear to anyone wanting to talk.
“I always popped in. The gift shop was a great place to kind of clear your head, not think about what was going on with your patients. And always a pretty, bright, colorful shop and a good place to buy a gift. And Madeleine was always very friendly and enjoyed talking to us,” Stalzer said.
“Christmas was wonderful. She always did this beautiful tree. Of course, we would have gone shopping for all of that beforehand and picked it all. She was very, very determined and a very driven kind of person,” Gerri Corsini, Haller’s friend said.
Haller was born in Kitchener as Madeleine Voisin. She was married to the late Ross Haller for 44 years. Both were members of the St. Francis Parish. Haller was also in the Catholic Women’s League and was known to always try and support her community however she could.
“She was dedicated to this work, to St. Mary’s Hospital, to the work of the Sisters of St. Joseph. And she gave her time, talents and treasure to build what she could to contribute to the people here,” Rev. Paul Voisin, Pastor at St. Francis Church and a relative of Haller.
Haller is also remembered as a loving wife, a mother to four children, a grandmother of four and a great-grandmother of five.
Before she passed, Haller spoke about her time volunteering, in a video for the hospital’s 100th anniversary.
“Our shop as it started out. We all grew together, because we were all new at it. It turned out to be okay,” Haller said in the video.
“The one thing about working at St. Mary’s, it feels like home. Of course, it’s close to home, but it’s the people that you work with that turn out to be quite nice, wonderful friends,” Haller said.
Her friends said Haller never asked for recognition, but she received many accolades for her contributions throughout her life.
Those include:
- Oktoberfest Rogers Women of the Year (1988)
- Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, awarded by the Governor General of Canada (1992)
- Provincial Life Member Award from the Hospital Auxiliaries Association of Ontario (1999)
- Honourary Director of the St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation in recognition of her significant contributions to fundraising efforts
- Sisters of St. Joseph of Hamilton Mission Legacy Award (2008)
- St. Mary’s General Hospital Volunteer Associates Legacy Award for her longstanding service from 1969 to 2009.
“I feel very blessed to have had her in my life,” Stalzer said.
