Nance North
1921-2020
NANCE NORTH – We are sad to announce the passing of Nance
North, 99, formerly of Canning and Halifax on May 28, 2020 at The
Meadows in Yarmouth. Nance was born on February 21, 1921 in Port
Talbot, South Wales, UK, the youngest of nine children. She was
predeceased by her parents, John Daniel and Alice (Williams) Daniel
and older siblings Sid, Griff, John, Morfydd, May, Dilys, Gwen and
Lil, all of London and Wales. Her husband Glendon North predeceased
her in June, 1998. Nance was very proud of her Welsh heritage and was
enthusiastically Welsh her whole life, along with being a proud Nova
Scotian. As a young girl of 12, her parents relocated to London where
she soon became a Welsh Londoner and was happy to be part of Walham
Green Chapel, a Welsh church, with her family. Following graduation
from Wandsworth Technical College in London, Mum was employed by the
London Philatelic Society. She then went to work in the House of
Commons Members’ Post Office in Parliament in busy wartime
London. This was a job she cherished. She was a strong admirer of
Prime Minister Winston Churchill with whom she was fortunate to have
had many exchanges during the course of her work. She kept Churchill
memorabilia that was very important to her for her whole life. She met
Lieutenant Glendon North, Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) who served
overseas during World War II. They were married on October 3, 1945 and
were fortunate to remain in London for several months when Glen was
commissioned to write the history of his regiment. In October of 1946
Nance arrived at Pier 21 in Halifax on the Aquitania, following
Glen’s earlier return. They settled in Canning and raised
two daughters. Nance made many friends there. She enjoyed her bridge
groups, the United Church UCW, outings and shopping trips with her
pals from Canning to Halifax, to Mills Bros. in particular. She
enjoyed morning swims at the Old Orchard Inn for many years with other
friends. She and Glen enjoyed over thirty-five years at the cottage in
nearby Medford Beach with wonderful neighbours. They travelled often
to England and Wales during these years and Glen was adored by her
family. In turn, they looked forward to visits by Mum’s
family from the UK. Their cat Toby was very special to them in those
days and was never forgotten. Mum was an excellent cook. Amazing roast
beef dinners were served following church on Sundays. Her Christmas
and other holiday dinners were second to none. Her family and
daughters’ friends will never forget her brown bread,
chocolate cake and fruit pies. A real feat for the War Bride who
arrived with no cooking experience. Mum had a penchant for late night
news particularly during election times, be it Canada, the US, or
England. Anything connected to the Royal Family piqued her interest
and brought forth her opinions.
In 1987 Glen and Nance moved to Halifax but kept their
cottage in Medford. They made many friends and were active in Fort
Massey United Church. Nance enjoyed her friends at the Tuesday morning
coffee group gatherings very much and continued to attend into her
nineties. She appreciated the helpful drives from others. She enjoyed
her new found friends and activities which included the Women for
Music Society and the Welsh Society. A very proud Welsh girl, she made
good friends with whom she and Dad shared fun social events with
beautiful Welsh music. The Saint David’s Day Dinner each
March 1st was always a special time with Mum translating the Menu into
Welsh. When Dad passed away in 1998 they had enjoyed eleven happy
years together in Halifax. Mum continued their overseas trips to
England and Wales alone, made all reservations and always included
hotels along the seacoast to soak up the sun. This continued into her
early 90’s; a couple of years earlier Mum travelled alone to
Las Palmas, Canary Islands to visit a Welsh friend. Mum was
courageous, confident, independent, strong spirited, spunky, loved
socializing and new adventures. She loved the sunshine. She was always
fashionably dressed and known for it. She loved looking spiffy. Her
London trips meant Harrods was high on her list. Mum moved to Parkland
at the Gardens at 92 in 2013 where she became part of a foursome who
enjoyed each other’s company and was happy there. At the
time of her passing she was residing at The Meadows where she received
very good care from a loving staff. Nance is survived by daughter
Dilys ’Dee’ (Wayne) Sutherland, Bedford;
granddaughter Natalie (Colin) MacDonald, Bedford; great grandson Jack
MacDonald; daughter Glenda (Steve) MacCabe, Barrington Passage;
granddaughter Lindsey (Jeremy Young) MacCabe, Wellington; grandson
Evan (Colleen Frellick) MacCabe, Hubbards; great granddaughter Lily
Parnell-MacCabe.
A private graveside service has taken place at Hillaton
Cemetery.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday,
October 4, 2020 in Fort Massey United Church, Halifax.
Funeral arrangements have
been entrusted to White Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services,
Kentville. Online condolences and inquiries may be directed to:
www.whitefamilyfuneralhome.com
To be born Welsh
Is to be born privileged.
Not with a silver spoon
In your mouth,
But music in your blood
And poetry in your soul.
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19212020
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Nance North 19212020..
Décès pour la Ville: Kentville, Province: Nova Scotia