Parcourez la nécrologie de Shirley Rachael Mae Bidwell nee Mason 1928 2023 résidant dans la province Nova Scotia pour le détail des funérailles
Shirley enjoyed reading and her favourite genre was classical
literature and biographies. Her life mirrored a book, taking you on
adventures and bringing you home again. The last page has
been written and Shirley’s story is ready to be read and
retold. This book is dedicated to her husband Tony
Bidwell.
Chapter 1: Opening:
Shirley was born to Viola (Thompson) and Ernest Mason in
Upper Sackville, NS. She was the middle child between brother,
Frederick (Doris) and sister, Orlea Crawford (Walter).
Keenly interested in learning, Shirley completed grade 10 in her local
school and then had to move to Halifax to complete high
school. From there she went on to Dalhousie University,
studying Biology and Microbiology. It was at Dalhousie that
she met her future husband, Tony (RGS) Bidwell while studying under
Dr. Hugh Bell. They were married July 1st, 1950 and moved to Kingston
Ontario where Tony was applying himself to his PhD. Their
children, Barbara Mary Grafton Clark (James), Alison Deborah Bidwell
(Arthur Wharton, deceased), Roger John Shelford Bidwell (Rachel
Helman) and Gillian Frances Allan (Nigel) were born during their moves
between Kingston, Halifax and Toronto. Further moves included
Cleveland Ohio and Kingston Ontario. Throughout these early
years, Shirley, Tony and family spent the summers at their summer
home, Rivendell, on the Wallace River. In 1979 Shirley and
Tony retired to Rivendell, spending many wonderfully busy and active
years following their passions of cycling, Guiding and travelling, and
hosting many friends and family at this idyllic location
Shirley and Tony were married for 71 years until Tony’s
passing in 2021. Shirley passed away in her community of
Pugwash following a short illness. She was predeceased by her parents
and brother. She is survived by her sister Orlea
Crawford; children, Barbara, Alison, Roger and Gillian;
grandchildren,Shaun, Rosemary and Eric Wharton; Michael and Abigail
Bidwell and Frances, Robert, Hillary and Elizabeth Allan; great
grandchildren, Jordan, Emma, and Jaxon, Sam and James, and, Eleanor
and Harriet. She also has nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family
who have many fond memories of her.
Chapter 2: Guiding Leadership
Shirley lived by the Guiding motto, «Be
Prepared». You always knew she would have whatever you
needed. The Guiding principles of Honour, Trust, Loyalty,
Helping Hand, A Friend to All, Courteous, A Friend to Animals, Leading
with Compassion, Smiles, Sings, is Thrifty, Pure in Thought Word and
Deed. exemplified Shirley. She lived them every day and
instilled these values in the countless children who were members of
the Brownies, Guide, and Ranger groups in every community she lived.
She became a Guider in 1962 while in Toronto and remained in the
Guiding movement all her life. She loved camping with her
Brownies and Guides and was instrumental in founding Camp Cumberland
on the Wallace River. She was fully involved, from
fundraising, building, construction, trail making and the many camps
she organised and attended. She loved tenting and campfires the
best. She was Commissioner and a Trainer both within Canada
and Internationally. In 2002, she was awarded the
Queen Elizabeth’s II Golden Jubilee Medal for her Guiding
Leadership. Countless guiding friends will hold her memory in their
hearts.
Chapter 3:Life Long Learner
Shirley never stopped learning. In her childhood she grasped
reading and writing at an early age and made learning a central focus
of her life; a concept she passed on to her children. She
was an educator in Guiding, at University, in her Church, and in her
home. She could name every plant and moss in the fields and woods of
Nova Scotia and was an active bird watcher. In her 80s she
studied and learned about Alzheimer’s while she supported
Tony. In her 90s she conquered using a cell phone and she
lamented that she had not learned to play the violin. Shirley
continues to contribute to research and education through
her tissue donation to the Maritime Brain Tissue Bank at Dalhousie
University (www.mbtb.ca
).
Chapter 4: Resourcefulness
As a child of the ‘30s Shirley learned to save,
make-from-scratch, reuse and recycle. She was motivated to
learn the skills of self sufficiency. Over her lifetime,
some of the special skills she honed were spinning, weaving, sewing,
knitting, gardening, preserving food and bee keeping. She made bread
with her freshly ground flour, and prepared fabulous meals and baked
goods on her Elmira Wood Range, the heart of her kitchen.
She also made candles and soap. She always hung the laundry
on the line, summer and winter and maintained as small a carbon
footprint as possible.
Chapter 5: Hobbies and Interests
Besides being resourceful, Shirley also had many
hobbies. Travelling took her around the world where she made
friends in every country. She cycled with Tony, skied cross
country, enjoyed swimming in the Wallace River and hiking in every
country she visited. She volunteered with the Sunset Auxiliary
(Pugwash) and was a member of the Board of Directors for the Sunset
Adult Residential Centre. She loved reading, primarily
classical literature, biographies and Shakespearian plays. She
attended the Stratford Theatre Festival in Ontario every year until
2012. All her children and grandchildren attended live
theatre with her when she took them to see Anne of Green
Gables in Charlottetown. She empathised with Elizabeth
Bennett, Anne (with an e), Katherina Minola, Jane Eyre and Little
Dorrit.
Shirley was a long-time member and supporter of the St.
Andrew’s Anglican Church in Wallace. She enjoyed Bible study
and asked questions that brought her closer to a truer understanding
of her Christian Faith.
Shirley had an excellent memory and she cared for and
remembered so many of the wonderful people who were part of her life,
including her many friends at Parkland, Truro, where she lived the
past two years. Her family would like to thank the
nurses and staff at Northumberland Memorial Hospital in Pugwash for
the care they gave to both Shirley and Tony while in palliative
care.
Chapter 6: Closing:
We celebrate the life and legacy of Shirley
Bidwell. A funeral will take place at St. Andrew’s
Anglican Church in Wallace NS on January 20, 2024 at 2pm, with the
committal of her ashes and Tony’s ashes in the summer. Those
who wish to make a donation may do so to
. Cheques can be made out to GGC – Camp Cumberland,
Treasurer PO Box 465, Springhill NS, B0M 1X0 or to St.
Andrew’s Anglican Church, C/O Arlyle Siscoe, 1708 highway
368, Middleboro B0K1M0. . Also, e-transfers to St Andrews can be sent
to st.andrewsanglicanwallace@gmail.com
Receipts will be issued when full name and address are
included.
«I love the way that each book
—
any book — is its own journey.
You open it, and
off you go…»
– Sharon
Creech
1928 2023
Décès pour la Ville Oxford, Province Nova Scotia
avis deces Shirley Rachael Mae Bidwell nee Mason 1928 2023
nécrologie Shirley Rachael Mae Bidwell nee Mason 1928 2023
Nous offrons nos plus sincères condoléances à la famille et aux amis de Shirley Rachael Mae Bidwell nee Mason 1928 2023 et espérons que leur mémoire pourra être une source de réconfort pendant cette période difficile. Vos pensées et vos mots aimables sont grandement appréciés.