‘Mayor of Jamestown’ gets dying wish, marries partner at hospital

Janet Gough’s friends and loved ones are describing this week "like something out of a movie."

After her health took a turn for the worse this month, the long-time volunteer and Jamestown activist had one outstanding item on her bucket list still to be checked off: marrying her best friend of 16 years.

Completely bedridden with little time remaining at the Sault Area Hospital, it became heartbreakingly clear that Gough wasn’t going to get the traditional wedding she had long talked about with her partner Cathy Rainone.

"I had asked her [to marry] about seven years ago, but it just never came to be," Rainone said. “Finances prevented us from tying the knot. But that was one thing she said she wanted to do before she passed away; she wanted to get married.”

With a supportive group behind them, the couple’s colleagues weren’t going to allow the limitations of the situation from getting in the way of celebrating their love for one another.

“Her last wish was attainable, and I wanted to make sure we did it,” said Angie De Simon, a close friend of Gough’s through the former Compassion Hub. “I’d like to think that if it were me, my friends would have done the same thing. And I know Janet would have done everything to help me.”

Preparations for their wedding inside the hospital’s chapel began last Saturday night in time for an impromptu ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

In less than 24 hours, the chapel was beautifully decked out with a variety of decorations.

“We want to make sure these nurses in 3C get the recognition they deserve,” De Simon said. “They set up all the flowers, confetti, chairs, lights, streamers — they did all of this. They even put out champagne flutes with ginger ale. They went above and beyond and thought of everything.”

“They have the most amazing team, and they should be incredibly proud of what they pulled off in that short time,” she added. “It was unreal.”

De Simon’s friend Karen Aelick purchased a wedding cake and purple flower bouquets, Gough’s favourite colour, to top off the essentials for the special day.

The couple was joined by close family and friends for the ceremony, along with ladies from the Sault Ste. Marie Royal Purple — an organization that Gough proudly spent the last 14 years volunteering with.

Although it wasn't a legally binding ceremony, Sault Pride chair Amanda Zuke officiated the proceedings before Gough and Rainone exchanged their wedding vows.

“You can’t even put it into words,” Rainone said. “To be honest, I was so focused on her — we could have been anywhere. It was totally overwhelming.”

“This was her dying wish,” De Simon added. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. But she was coherent throughout and said her vows. It was absolutely beautiful.”

Watching some of the proceedings from outside the chapel, nurses on the unit wore purple scrubs and lined the hallway to applaud the couple on their momentous occasion.

“It just reassures that there are some great people in this city,” De Simon said. “The Sault has issues, but a whole bunch of strangers just planned this day for her.”

“The staff there is amazing,” Rainone added. “They were all so excited, and they didn’t even know Janet other than as a patient. It was better than my first wedding.”

Friends of the now married couple have described their love story like a fairy tale.

Gough was dating Rainone’s ex-husband when the three first met up for drinks at their neighbourhood bar 16 years ago.

“There was a sparkle in her eye that caught my attention,” Rainone said. “We became friends and the three of us went out a couple of times, but they didn’t work out. We were friends and would go out and whatnot, and it just bloomed from there.”

“You can’t write it; it was meant to be.”

The two had lived the past ten years together in Jamestown, where the neighbourhood dubbed Gough their "mayor" for the impact she had on residents there.

From helping the homeless and planting community gardens to volunteering with Sal’s Summer Kids Day and Jamestown Strong events, Gough’s advocacy for a troubled part of the city knows no bounds, according to loved ones.

“She’d always be out in the neighbourhood talking to everybody,” Rainone said. “She got to know people and got involved with things. Even if she saw garbage, she’d pick it up. It’s not that she consciously goes out and does these things — that’s just her.”

“She’s always gone above what she needed to do.”

Gough’s love for Jamestown was even recognized by Mayor Matthew Shoemaker on Monday, after her friends Lucio and Charlene Cesinaro notified the city of her condition.  

“I would like to recognize your selfless service of our community, particularly the residents of the James Street area,” the mayor’s document read. “Your moniker as the ‘Mayor of Jamestown’ is a well-earned testament to all that you’ve done to help others. Your actions speak to the best qualities of Sault Ste. Marie.”

It hasn’t been an easy year for Rainone, as she lost her mother in June and grandmother in September.

But if this week has proven anything, there will be no shortage of support as she continues to navigate this incredibly difficult time.

“I’m doing as well as I can,” Rainone said. “I take it one day at a time.”