Katherine Mary Polack
elevated 2DZAZ March 11, 1964 ~ August 25, 2026
elevated 2DZAZ Visitation
Wednesday, September 2, 2026 from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home
211 Langstaff Road East, Thornhill, Ontario, L3T 3Z6
elevated 2DZAZ Funeral Mass
Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 10:30 a.m.
Chapel of St. Joseph at Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home
211 Langstaff Road East, Thornhill, Ontario, L3T 3Z6
elevated 2DZAZ Inurnment
Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery
8361 Yonge Street Thornhill, Ontario, L3T 3Z6
elevated 2DZAZ Reception
Following the Inurnment
Within the Funeral Home – Reception Room 1
elevated 2DZAZ Obituary
Katherine Mary Polack
March 11, 1964 – August 25, 2026
In Loving Memory
elevated 2DZAZ It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of Katherine Mary Polack. Our beautiful Katherine passed away peacefully on the morning of August 25th, 2026 after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer which she faced with remarkable strength and grace.
elevated 2DZAZ Daughter of Mary Polack and the late John Polack, she was born and raised in Montreal alongside her older and younger brothers, Michael and Christopher. She was a beloved sister-in-law to Kinga and aunt to Stephen and Anna. Katherine was also a devoted godmother to Caelestia Williams (née Hu) and Nathania Bang (née Hu).
elevated 2DZAZ Katherine leaves behind countless friends from all walks of life, notably Brian Irving, who has been her longtime companion and friend since they began climbing together. Throughout the years, the two had many adventures and created one-of-a-kind memories as they travelled to the mountains out west or to more exotic eastern locales such as Morocco and Greece.
elevated 2DZAZ To be in Katherine’s circle meant you were treasured, be you a human or a 4-legged furball such as Bella the Goldendoodle or her finicky feline friends, Crunch and Munch. She showered them with affection and; treats and were an important part of her life.
elevated 2DZAZ In 1979, Katherine and her family moved from Montreal to Toronto where she went on to earn her teaching degree. As an elementary teacher with the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s French Immersion program, she became ‘Mademoiselle Katherine’.
elevated 2DZAZ Mademoiselle Katherine will be forever remembered as an exceptional and devoted elementary teacher, a career that meant everything to her. She dedicated herself to each individual student and their families with compassion, strength, generosity and love. Even during her battle she always thought she would return to her classroom. It was her heart’s desire.
elevated 2DZAZ It was also during her career that she did a one year teaching exchange for the opportunity to teach and live in Geneva, Switzerland. There, she touched the hearts and minds of many more colleagues and students. This placement frequently allowed her to travel to and explore other nearby countries especially on the weekends!
elevated 2DZAZ It was in the early 2000s, years prior to Switzerland, that Katherine discovered climbing and what began as a casual interest grew into an avid and passionate pursuit of the vertical rock face. This love of the outdoors brought her to the mountains of Red Rocks (Nevada), the razor-edged ridge of Seneca Rocks (West Virginia), The Gunks (New York), The Red (Kentucky) and many other cliffs and crags.
elevated 2DZAZ Above all, Katherine had a deep love for Jesus, and held an unwavering faith in Him. She developed an intimate prayer life with Jesus and Mary, and it was through this grace that she was prepared and enabled to live not only each day but especially her final years of suffering, with acceptance, humility and deep trust.
elevated 2DZAZ We are deeply saddened by Katherine’s passing but she will live on in our memories and shared conversations. We find comfort in knowing that she is at peace with God and recognize the blessing and privilege to have had Katherine in our lives. Katherine’s faith and love, boundless generosity and courage will always be remembered.
elevated 2DZAZ Her family and friends welcome you to join us in commemorating Katherine’s life and memory.
elevated 2DZAZ May her essence continue to bring light to our lives.
elevated 2DZAZ In lieu of flowers, Katherine would greatly appreciate prayers and Masses offered for the repose of her soul. Donations to a charity of your choice.
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I will always remember Katherine as a wonderful friend and my travel partner during our teacher exchange in Switzerland. I always cherished our conversations about current events and, of course, education and the school system.
Katherine was such a generous person, always full of energy and passion. I will miss her very much.
Deepest condolences and courage in the days ahead.
R.I.P. my beautiful friend
Ruth 💔
Katherine was such a gentle soul. I appreciated her help in chemistry as my tutor early in the mornings. She was a caring and passionate person. God Bless her soul.
Dearest Katherine,
We met later in your life when you came to St Benedict to supply and quickly became one of my favourite people at school.
There is never enough time with sweet and brave souls as yourself.
May you rest in peace eternally in God’s merciful embrace.
Deepest sympathies to all who knew and loved her.
You will be greatly missed 🕊️
Chaleureusement,
Marta
💐Chère Katherine — ou plutôt « Mademoiselle Katherine », comme on te nommait à l’époque, j’aimerais te remercier pour ton chaleureux accueil lorsque je suis arrivé à l’école, lors de ma toute première année d’enseignement, en 2000.
Tu étais une femme d’une grande générosité et tu avais toujours le bon mot pour nous encourager et nous faire sentir les bienvenus. Tu ne comptais pas tes heures pour aider les élèves de la maternelle et tu leur donnais tellement de ton temps et de ton cœur.
Merci pour tous ces beaux souvenirs et pour la personne extraordinaire que tu as été pour tant d’entre nous.
Mes plus sincères condoléances à toi et à toute ta famille. Mes pensées vous accompagnent dans cette période difficile.
💐Dear Katherine — or rather, “Mademoiselle Katherine,” as we used to call you back then, I would like to thank you for the warm welcome you gave me when I arrived at the school during my very first year of teaching, in 2000.
You were such a generous person, and you always had the right words to encourage us and make us feel welcome. You never counted the hours you spent helping the kindergarten students, and you gave so much of your time and your heart to them.
Thank you for all those wonderful memories and for the extraordinary person you were to so many of us.
My deepest condolences to you and your entire family. My thoughts are with you during this difficult time.
Katherine was a teacher at Our Lady of Wisdom for many years who inspired many individuals and students to embrace their Christian values. While working as a Caretaker with Katherine I noticed how she touched the lives of so many people through her kindness and devotion to being a good person. She will be greatly missed by everyone. The memorable memories of her will live on forever.
I knew Kathy through our St Pascal Babylon youth group years ago, and remember her , positive attitude and always smiling. Will miss you , but it is just a temporary separation for we will meet again in heaven one day🌹🙏🏻❤️
My Dear Friend Kathy,
I miss you.
Our paths crossed in the final months of University, for which I am forever grateful. We bonded over our shared passion for education, but it was the respect we had for one another that cemented our friendship. Since, we have laughed, cried, vented, shared stories, hiked, travelled to the Caribbean, cottaged, and shared, oh, so many wonderful birthday celebrations. I cherish all the heart felt moments, lengthy conversations and special outings. My girls always remembered, “Kathy & the cats!”
Sharing this precious life journey with you has been a gift. Your excitement for life’s simple pleasures, love of nature, compassion for humanity and dedication to prayer always touched my heart. Your kind, compassionate and generous spirit never wavered. You know I loved you dearly, and always will.
Until we meet again, my friend, God Bless You.
Dear Katherine,
You were always a dear lady from our neighbourhood. I knew from meeting you walking your beautiful puppy Bella. You were always wonderful. I was saddened by Bella’s recent passing. I hope Bella was waiting for you wagging her tail on the other side of the rainbow bridge.
My thoughts and prayers are with you for the life you lived.
God bless you.
I am very sad to learn of dear Mademoiselle Katherine’s passing. I remember her fondly for her remarkable dedication to her profession and for her kindness. I had the pleasure of meeting her at Our Lady of Wisdom School at which I was the school secretary. I send heartfelt condolences to all her family and pray that she will rest peace. 🙏
Thank you for being such a wonderful friend. I will cherish all the memories we shared and will never forget you. You will always have a special place in my heart. I hope you are now at peace and resting peacefully.
With love,
Dolorès
Dear Katherine,
Looking back 38 years of knowing you, I realize that maybe I am the only one who met you first as a parent, then worked with you as a teaching partner, and then we became friends.
Your professionalism and your daily preparedness for every grade you taught were an inspiration not just for me but for many others.
Thank you for all the times that you stood by my side when I needed somebody to lean on to.
I miss you!
My dear friend Katherine!!
I was so grateful to God that life brought us together in our school “Ou Lady Of Wisdom”.
I beleive that you were one of the best teachers I have ever known. Your compassion and dedication was endless. Every student you taught through the years were very fortunate to have you as a teacher.
Teaching is a real challenge!! We had good days and bad days yet we were always able to work through them.
I enjoyed all our discussions after school when everyone left. You were always in my prayers.
May you rest in peace my dear friend.
I will miss you terribly.
Love Ildiko