Funeral to be held for Caroline Marshall-Hobbs, mother of Donald Marshall Jr.

SYDNEY, N.S. — A funeral will be held Tuesday for a Mi’kmaq woman known as a source of strength for her community when her son was wrongfully imprisoned and First Nations struggled for aboriginal rights.

Caroline Marshall-Hobbs died on Christmas Eve at the age of 86 in Sydney, N.S.

She was the mother of the late Donald Marshall Jr., whose wrongful conviction as a 17-year-old for a murder he didn’t commit brought scrutiny to the province’s justice system.

Cheryl Maloney, president of the Nova Scotia Aboriginal Women’s Association, says Marshall-Hobbs will be remembered for her dignity during her son’s 11-year incarceration and for the support she provided to her husband Donald Marshall Sr., who served as grand chief for almost three decades.

Maloney says Marshall-Hobbs assisted her husband as they lobbied for improved Mi’kmaq rights when funding for aboriginal groups was much lower.

Maloney says Marshall-Hobbs will also be remembered as a woman of faith who maintained and encouraged the Mi’kmaq language and the traditional arts, such as basket making.