Shaylyn Hawkins

A Letter of Thanks

On behalf of the family of Shaylyn Hawkins, we wish to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has shown us love, kindness, and support during this most difficult time.

Shaylyn was taken from us far too soon at the young age of 34, and our hearts are broken. In the midst of our grief, the outpouring of care we have received—from family and friends near and far, from the Alder Point community, her coworkers at Harbourstone, and from the staff and customers of Cedar House—has been a source of comfort and strength.

Whether it was through visits, phone calls, messages, flowers, meals, cards, donations, or simply keeping us in your thoughts and prayers, every gesture has reminded us that we are not alone in our sorrow.

A special thank you to Sheila, Brian McKinnon, and their family for being there with such love and support. Thank you as well to the emergency response team and the doctors and nurses of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Emergency and ICU. To Fr. Chinonso Alaribe, the Saint Anne’s Parish Choir, Bobby Anthony, musician Jennifer Roland Buffett, altar servers, readers (friend Morgan McKinnon, Iris Taylor, and Angie MacNeil), and Eucharistic ministers—we are deeply grateful for the beautiful mass. Thank you also to the community hall for the lovely luncheon. Finally, we extend our heartfelt thanks to J.M. Jobes Funeral Home for your professionalism, compassion, and kindness during this difficult time.

We are especially grateful to those who joined us in celebrating Shaylyn’s life. Your presence and shared memories honored her beautiful spirit and the love she gave so freely to others.

Please know that your kindness has touched our hearts in ways words cannot fully express. We will carry your support with us as we continue to cherish Shaylyn’s memory and keep her light alive.

With heartfelt thanks,
Tim, Michelle & Lee Hawkins, and Jordan MacDonald

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It is with profound sadness and broken hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Shaylyn Hawkins, who left us far too soon on August 10, 2025. Born on March 10, 1991,

Dear Shaylyn, you were—and always will be—the light of our lives.

A beautiful artist, dancer, and poet, Shaylyn was expressive in every way. She embraced life with joy, a love for music and dance, and a deep compassion for all creatures, great and small. Her laughter and radiant smile will forever echo in the hallways of Harbourstone Enhanced Care, where she worked as a physiotherapy assistant, and in the hearts of those she touched at Bissett Court and Northwood Manor in Dartmouth and Halifax.

Shaylyn’s warmth, creativity, and kindness left an indelible mark on her friends from Memorial High School’s Class of 2009 and her Eastern College physiotherapy classmates.

She will be lovingly remembered and deeply missed by her parents, Tim and Michelle (Mitchell) Hawkins; her brother, “Bruddy” Christopher Lee (Jessica Leigh Chénier); and her “ROCK,” Jordan MacDonald. She will also be remembered with love by her best friends, Jacqueline Livingston and Ashley Parks.

Shaylyn’s cherished fur babies—Bentley, Cali, Serious, Ponyo, Ezerek, and Zola—will miss her gentle care, but her family will ensure they are loved and cared for as she would have wished. Many aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends also remain to share her stories and celebrate her life.

She was predeceased by her paternal grandparents, Peter and Elvena (LeBlanc) Hawkins, and her maternal grandmother, Evangeline (Thurbide) Mitchell.

Donations in Shaylyn’s memory may be made to the Cape Breton SPCA or a charity of your choice.

Visitation for Shaylyn will be held on Friday, August 15, 2025, from 6–9 p.m. at JM Jobes Funeral Home, 635 Main Street, Sydney Mines. A Funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, August 16, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, 678 Alder Point Road, with a reception to follow at Alder Point Community Hall.

The family shares this poem in her memory:

I didn’t choose to leave you—God had a greater plan.
He knew you had each other, and so He took my hand.
You may not always see me, yet I’ll never leave your side;
My light will shine within your hearts—so please, don’t cry.
As days turn to weeks, and weeks into years,
You’ll remember me still, with far fewer tears.
And when your time is finished, and this earth you leave behind,
I’ll be there at the gates, to welcome you inside.

The light of our lives has dimmed, leaving us with memories that will forever glow.

Fly high, our angel. Until we meet again, Love Mom & Dad.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Shaylyn Hawkins, please visit our floral store.