Theresa Spragg
1950-2019
Theresa (“Terry”) Spragg (nee Clowater) was
born October 29, 1950 in Fredericton to Everett & Joyce
Clowater (nee Hargrove). She was raised in Lakeville Corner
(and on Grand Manan for a time), but she was adventurous and
ambitious, and in 1970 she joined the Royal Canadian Air Force,
aspiring to something she didn’t feel she would achieve in a
small rural community. During her 30 years of service,
climbing the non-commissioned ranks with hard work and determination,
she met Terrence (also “Terry”) Kenneth Spragg of
Vancouver while the two were posted to Cold Lake. More of an
affectionate and practical match than an epic romance, the two married
in 1971. Later when posted to CFB Gagetown and living back
in Lakeville Corner they had two children, Kenneth Allan in 1979 and
Michelle Cecile in 1983, whom she loved dearly and continued working
hard to provide for. The family was posted to Trenton,
Ontario in 1986; Ottawa in 1990 (where Terrence retired);
and ultimately back to the Fredericton area (New Maryland) in 1995,
where Theresa also exited the military as a Master Warrant
Officer.
After leaving the Air Force, she held a civilian contractor
position for a time before joining the Corps of Commissionaires,
eventually becoming area manager for Fredericton for several years
before retiring for good. When her husband died of
pancreatic cancer in 2008, she busied herself with family, community,
and her cats Leo & Damien. She moved to Douglas
Harbour in 2010, where she formed a “widows’
club,” taught Sunday School, and one day upon hearing the
music of Dwayne Ferris, a singer/song-writer from Mill Cove, NB,
formed a dear friendship with him and discovered a new passion
selflessly volunteering to promote his art.
Her first grandchild Jacob was born to Michelle (having moved
to BC) and her husband Jeffrey Bobrel, and longing to spend more time
visiting them on the West coast, in November of 2017 Theresa was
prevailed upon to move back in to Fredericton to live with Ken and his
partner John Staples, so that her surviving cat Damien could be cared
for while she traveled. She transitioned over several
months, retaining her house in Douglas Harbour until October 2018 when
she sold it to a family displaced by the Maugerville
flooding. Sadly, a suspected heart attack amid the final
moving-out began to ail her shortly thereafter, leading to weeks in
the Chalmers Hospital from October to December. Not long
after being discharged, little Damian died of a similar ailment, but
despite needing in-home oxygen following exertion, Theresa seemed
thankfully to begin to recover. We unhappily mused that he
had taken on her ‘fate’ so that she could get
better. Weathering her residual health challenges, she
visited Michelle & her family, returned to promoting
Dwayne’s music, and delighted Ken & John as a
roommate.
A sudden bout of illness late in June, however, returned her
to the hospital. Resuscitated from a heart attack in the ER,
she spent a week in the ICU and then Cardiac Care unit, trying her
best to get better and make it back home again. Family and
friends rallied to her side, keeping devoted vigil throughout
declining health. In her final days she hoped for the best
but bravely, gracefully, she also tried to prepare herself and us for
the worst. To our great sorrow, she died in her sleep at
approximately 7:15 PM on Jun 30, attended to by her best
friend.
Beloved for her kindness and generosity, her good humour and
wit, her creativity and industriousness, and her ageless zest for
life, Terry is survived by her siblings Rhonda Clowater and her
partner Carol; Shelly Ateyo and husband Perry, and their
children Courtney & Nicole; Kelly Davidson and
husband Roger, and their children Terryn, Samantha & William;
and Evan Clowater, his wife Jeanette, and their sons Sheldon, Logan,
Jonathan and Michael; by her son Ken and his partner
John; by her daughter Michelle, her husband Jeff, and their
son— the grandson she adored—
Jacob.
An informal gathering to celebrate her will be held Saturday
June 6 at 5 PM, at 549 Route 690 in Lakeville Corner. Anyone
who appreciated her and will miss her is welcome to attend to share
stories and music, to bring and ‘toast’ her with
Reese peanut butter cups & McDonalds milkshakes (some of her
last comforts in the hospital), and is encouraged to wear purple, as
it was her favourite. Those inclined to make donations in
her honour are asked to consider the food bank, or community kitchen,
or the SPCA. And for anyone moved to try and emulate her in
remembrance, in her own words: “it isn’t
complicated. Just be kind, be considerate, and try not to
think you’re better than anybody else.”
www.oromoctofh.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Theresa Spragg 19502019..
Death notice for the town of: Fredericton, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick