Nurse, dog breeder, she thought of others first
Tally Hill of Waterloo Born: July 28, 1944 in Hamilton Died: Oct. 31, 2017 of pulmonary fibrosis
For nearly two decades, Tally Hill took on a leadership role at Toronto General Hospital and after retirement, the registered nurse used her talents in yet another leadership role, this one easing the suffering of dying patients.
In the 1980s, Tally had been one of the medical professionals who helped found the palliative care program in Waterloo Region, a time when the method of final care was fairly new.
Niece, Quinn Chaisson, said her aunt was highly intelligent, “very independent, very passionate.”
Tally made everyone feel cared for and the obituaries are filled with thanks from families for the remarkable kindness of the palliative care nurse during their loved one’s final days.
“She was just so kind,” said Quinn.
“She always thought of other people first.”
Quinn said her aunt’s earlier nursing position had been as Toronto General’s head cardiopulmonary perfusionist, a medical role where the technician uses specialized equipment to support a patient’s circulation during open heart surgery. She also trained new perfusionists.
“She was really proud of being able to do that,” said Quinn.
Bev Dyck, a friend since they were seven years old, also trained as a nurse with Tally at Toronto Western Hospital School of Nursing, graduating in 1965. Why nursing?
“In those days we didn’t have a ton of options: nurse, secretary, teacher,” said Bev, adding “we had a great education.”
In their third year, all the student nurses were on hospital floors, working alongside hospital staff.
After graduating, Tally worked for a time in the hospital’s lab then went to Sick Children’s Hospital, in the emergency department.
“She went to Toronto General in the early 1970s and stayed until 1987,” Bev said.
“Then she came back to Waterloo.”
It was a move that would include a major change in her career, at least for a few years.
Tally took a job as a claims intake worker for an insurance company but after a decade she decided to return to nursing, this time with agencies providing home care. It had been time for a new challenge and she found one, eventually moving into the relatively new field of palliative care.
Bev had met Tally when they were children and Tally’s parents, along with her three siblings, moved from Hamilton to the 1838 historic home known as Lucinda House, on Albert St. in Waterloo.
Tally’s father had served in the Canadian Air Force and raised Irish setters. She inherited her love of animals from him, said Bev. “Animals were her passion.”
Tally never married nor had children and instead used her big heart to care for animals, particularly dogs though she also raised pedigree cats.
She was a long time member of the K-W Kennel Club and a breeder of Great Pyrenees dogs, running a breeding kennel, Taralyall Great Pyrenees, from her Waterloo home. Tally quickly made a name for herself across the country as an exceptional breeder.
Sandy Dement, president of the Great Pyrenees Club of Canada said in an email that because of Tally’s contributions to the club and the breed, the organization will continue to support an award that Tally created a few years ago.
“It is our honour as the national club to continue to support the Taralyall Best Junior Handler Perpetual at our National Specialties in Tally’s memory,” wrote Sandy.
She added, “Tally was a wealth of knowledge of the Great Pyrenees breed and a wonderful mentor and supporter of junior handlers. She had a passion about studying Great Pyrenees pedigrees and was always happy to talk dogs.
“More than anything she was a very kind lady always willing to lend a hand or offer advice about her beloved breed.”
Tally was also eager to use the loving nature of dogs to bring comfort to others.
When Tally was a member of the K-W Kennel club, she and other club members were part of a long tradition of visiting nursing homes with their purebred dogs.
In 1993 Tally told a reporter she thought the program was “pet therapy.”
“The benefits gained from human-animal bond, especially for people who are isolated or withdrawn is enormous,” she had said. “It’s rewarding to see their faces light up when we bring in these dogs.”
Long time friend and a breeder of Malamute dogs, Janis Waechter, remembers offering to train Tally’s last dog, Nina, to pull a sled alongside one of her sled dogs. Tally was keen and so was Nina, a dog large and powerful enough to pull Santa’s sled.
Tally’s health would not allow for her to enjoy sledding with Nina but she always wanted to be there for support particularly at the annual Winterloo Ice Dogs festival in Waterloo, an annual event run by Janis’s family.
“Tally would come to Ice Dogs with us,” said Janis, remembering her friend having to stand on the sidelines observing.
“We’d give kids rides around,” said Janis. “She really enjoyed herself.”
Janis describes her friend as willing to help anybody, the kind of person who always had a little gift to give, just to show affection.
“She was such a soft, warm person,” said Janis.
As Tally’s lungs grew weaker, she had to give up dog shows and dog breeding and eventually had to sell her house and move into an apartment, with just her beloved Nina and a barn cat. When her sister Sara Hill died earlier this year of cancer, Tally lost another large part of herself.
Quinn remembers Tally with great love, as the woman who provided a little girl with a steady supply of puppies and kittens to cuddle.
“It was all about dogs and cats with her,” she said.