Evelyn Mae “Evie” Grew
1935-2020
Evelyn “Evie” Mae Grew, Antigonish, Nova
Scotia
On January 24th, 2020, Evelyn departed
this world with the same grace and peacefulness with which she lived
her life.
Evie was born on August 7th, 1934 in
Glenholme, Nova Scotia to the late David Vance and Christine Elizabeth
“Lizzy” (Fraser) Grew. Evie’s father had hoped for
a baby brother for first-born, Estelle. That boy, John, would
eventually arrive. But in the interim, Evie announced that she was
“Little David,” and was strong-willed and insistent that
girls could do anything boys could do. A feminist ahead of her time,
Evie would go on to live her life guided by this early
proclamation.
Evie’s nurturing spirit emerged early. Growing up
on a small farm, Evie loved animals, especially horses. And as an
early testament to her fearless sense of determination, young Evie
used to hand crank her father’s Model T Ford and take her
friends for a ride–long before she had a licence to
drive.
Evie went on to live an inspirational life with an unwavering
dedication to maternal and child nursing, community health care, and
education. She graduated from Oxford Regional High School, and then
earned her Nursing Diploma from the Victoria General School of
Nursing, Halifax, in 1957.
Evie then moved to the States. In Boston, she completed her
Bachelor of Nursing and her Masters of Nursing degrees. She worked at
Massachusetts’s General Hospital, and then spent the
majority of her career as Director of Nursing at the Beth Israel
Hospital, with a focus on maternity nursing. So inspired by
Evie’s teaching, the Beth Israel nursing class of 1964
dedicated their yearbook to her.
A woman of strong faith, Evie’s philosophy was that
you “save a nation one by one.” Evie quite literally brought
health care to the people, especially to those less fortunate or
marginalized. She set up outreach programs in the inner city of
Boston, and established clinics for unwed mothers under Harvard
Medical School. She advocated for individuals living with AIDS and
homeless people. After a full day of work at the hospital, Evie would
fearlessly venture into unsafe back alleys to deliver health care to
those in need.
Evie returned to Canada in 1989 and worked as a professor at
StFX University. Throughout her tenure there and long after her
retirement, Evie worked tirelessly and frequently worked after hours
to support nursing students. Evie volunteered on numerous nursing
committees and actively encouraged others to do the
same.
Evie was a member of the Nova Scotia Task Force on Nursing,
which led to nursing reform in the province. She had great respect for
Sister Simone Roach, a nursing pioneer who established a theory of
caring and the first code of ethics for nurses in Canada. Inspired by
Sister Simone’s work, Evie made a presentation on
“Ethics in Nursing” to the International Council of Nurses
in Vancouver in 1997.
Throughout her career, Evie received many awards. In 1997,
Evie received StFX’s Outreach Award for her outstanding
contribution to community service for her promotion of health and
quality of life. She established a community health outreach program
for women in three rural areas of Nova Scotia and also helped secure a
mobile breast screening unit for rural areas.
Evie received the Excellence in Nursing award from the
Registered Nurses Association of Nova Scotia in 1997. In 2009, the
College of Registered Nursing of Nova Scotia awarded Evie with the
Centennial Award of Distinction for her significant contributions to
the nursing profession.
One of her greatest honours was receiving the Queen Elizabeth
II Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of her years of service in
nursing and contributions to her community.
Evie was predeceased by her parents. She is survived by her
sister, Estelle (Robert) Ferrigno, Oxford, Nova Scotia; brother, John
Grew, Montreal; niece, Monica (Kenneth), of Glenville, Nova Scotia;
nephew, David (Patricia) and their children: Moya Sharma (Venktesh),
Mikaela (Brandon), and Jurian, Lower Shinimicas, Nova Scotia.
Visitation will be held Tuesday in C.L. Curry Funeral Home,
135 College Street, Antigonish, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9pm.
Funeral service will be held Wednesday in St. James United Church at
2:00pm, Reverend Peter Smith presiding. Burial in Pine Grove
Cemetery, Oxford, in the spring.
Family flowers only, please. In lieu of flowers,
donations may be made in Evie’s name to St.
Martha’s Hospital School of Nursing Alumni and Sisters of
St. Martha Bursary. Please contact Cathy Fraser, Development Officer,
StFX University, P.O. Box 5000, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, B2G2W5. Tel.
902-867-5017.
Donations in Evie’s memory may also be made to the
St. Martha’s Regional Hospital Foundation.
Special thanks to Dr. Michelle Murphy, Evie’s
family doctor; Dr. Jane Anne Howard; Dr. Phillip Cooper; Dr. Khalid;
and the kind and caring staff of the Progressive Care Unit and of the
Palliative Care Unit at St. Martha’s Regional
Hospital.
Evie’s spirit of
faith, courage, and generosity will surely live on in the hearts of
all who were blessed to know her.
“God
bless all.” –Evie Grew
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Evelyn Mae Evie Grew 19352020..
Death notice for the town of: Antigonish, Province: Nova Scotia