MCGUGAN, Sarah “Anne” McGugan

Passed away on May 9, 2026, at the age of 85. Beloved wife of Don McGugan for 58 years. Loving mother of daughter Lynn (Dave), of Mebane, North Carolina, and son Don (Lana) of Brights’ Grove, Ontario; loving grandmother to Rachel Clark, of Mebane North Carolina, and Nolan and Clara McGugan of Brights’ Grove. Sister to Don McLachlan of Strathroy, Ontario, and Angus (Connie) McLachlan of Guelph, Ontario. Sister-in-law of Margaret Rose Pegg of Dresden, Ontario, and Violet (Jack) Fell of Lantzville, BC. Predeceased by her parents, K. Gordon and Beatrice McLachlan, brother Stuart of Regina Saskatchewan, and brother-in-law Allen Pegg of Dresden, Ontario. Also survived by several cousins, nieces and nephews.

Anne attended London Teacher’s College, graduating in 1958, and taught in a one room schoolhouse south of Bridgen at the age of 18. She then taught home economics in Petrolia in Queen E Public School and in Sarnia at King George Public School. She was a substitute teacher for the Lambton Kent District School Board after her children were old enough to get off the school bus by themselves and stopped teaching in 2000. She was active in Junior Farmer’s, being chosen to go to the British Isles in 1967 as part of a 10-week exchange program. She was one of the first 4H members in the province of Ontario to obtain more than 21 4H clubs and led numerous Homemaking 4H clubs for the young people of Brooke Township. She and Don were co-hosts of the 1973 International Ploughing Match.

She was raised in the Presbyterian faith, but after her marriage, joined the Baptist faith and attended Brooke and Enniskillen Baptist Church where she taught Sunday school for several years. She was clerk of B&E Baptist Church for 35 years. After it closed, she enjoyed attending the Hope United Church in Alvinston and faithfully listened to Rev Jim Breen on his YouTube sermons during the COVID era.

Anne was a member of the Sunnybrooke Women’s Institute, serving in various offices both locally and provincially. Anne and Don were awarded the Volunteer Recognition Award from the AgriFood and Rural Communities in 2002. In 2006, they were awarded the Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award from the Lambton Soil and Crop Improvement Association. They were also each awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2012 for their service to the community. She was Brooke Alvinston Senior of the Year in 2017. In 2019, she was chosen as one of Lambton County’s Women of Excellence. In 2022, Anne and Don were awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for their significant contributions to the community. In 2023, Anne and Don were inducted into the Lambton Agriculture Hall of Fame. She was secretary of the Brooke Alvinston Fair Board, and judged multiple fair entries over the years, critiquing pies, cakes, jams and handcrafted items. She was a director for many years on the board of Lambton Rural Child Care. Anne was also a representative on the Brooke Central School Council. She enjoyed traveling with her husband to the multiple municipal conferences that they attended, travelling Canada from East to West, from St. John’s Newfoundland to Vancouver, BC and multiple cities in between.

She enjoyed working in her gardens and landscaping her home, and her flowerbeds were always immaculate. She received great joy from texting and seeing her grandchildren.

Visitation will be held at Brooke Alvinston Inwood Community Centre Complex, at 3310 Walnut Street, Alvinston, ON N0N 1A0, on Thursday, May 14, 2026, from 4pm-8pm. A funeral service will take place at the Brooke Alvinston Inwood Community Centre Complex on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 1pm, followed by interment at Alvinston Cemetery. A luncheon will follow the burial at the Complex