Jean Sutherland Saunders – 97, Truro. It is with
sadness, but gratitude for a life well lived, that we announce the
passing of our Mom, Jean Sutherland Saunders on November 2, 2021,
after a brief illness ended her truly remarkable life.
Friends have used many words to describe our mother: grace,
humility, elegance, faith, resilience, kindness, generosity,
compassion, and dignity. All would be true, but we would place courage
at the top of the list. That trait of character was forged early on in
a childhood marked by tragedy.
Mom was born in Riverton, NS in June, 1924, to (her father)
Hugh MacDearmid Sutherland and (her mother) Annie (MacLellan)
Sutherland. She was the youngest of three children, joining older
brother, Bill, and sister, Mary. Sadly, Mom’s father, Hugh
was killed in a freight yard accident where he worked as a brakeman
when Mom was seven, and her mother Annie died when Mom was 12. Bill
and Mary – both still in their late teens, and working, were
not able to provide for their little sister. Left an orphan, Mom was
blessed to be “taken in” by Annie’s dear friend,
Margaret (Fraser) Sutherland (no relation, whom our Mom nicknamed
“Suddy”), a registered nurse who owned a nursing home across
the street. Suddy asked Bill and Mary for their permission to rear our
mother as the child she never had. They readily agreed. From that
bond, Mom’s education and development flourished. So too did
her deep understanding of people, especially those in need, and her
habit of always putting the interests of others first. Five years
later, when our Mom was 17, she received word that her brother, Bill,
then a boatswain in the Canadian Merchant Marine, had been killed when
his ship, the SS Vancouver Island, was torpedoed by a German U-boat,
when leading a convoy in the North Atlantic. All aboard were
lost.
Suddy knew that our Mom also wanted to become a registered
nurse, but she insisted Mom start with a solid secretarial and
bookkeeping background. So off to Mount ‘A’ she
went and completed that two year program. The next year our Mom was
accepted into the three-year RN program at the Royal Victoria Hospital
in Montreal. Sadly, our mother suspected that Suddy was seriously ill
and she worried that if she were to move to Quebec, Suddy would not be
able to manage her patients’ care. So she declined repeated
urgings from the “Head Matron” at the Royal Vic, and stayed
on to help. When Suddy died, our mother, only 22, found other
facilities for each of the patients and handled the closure of the
nursing home. While she was never able to pursue her RN degree we have
no doubt that her intellect, empathy and resolve would have made her
an excellent nurse.
Happily, and lucky for us, our Mom and Dad (Jim) who were in
elementary school together, met again, fell in love and were married
in 1948. Our father’s business career took them first to
Yorkton, followed by transfers to Winnipeg, Willowdale, Pointe Claire,
Oakville and finally, Truro. In each of these communities, our parents
made life-long friends, whether through their commitment to the United
Church of Canada or the many charitable organizations and activities
they joined.
Our mother was fiercely proud of her Scottish heritage and
Pictou County roots. She had a vast knowledge of history and current
events. Her memory was extraordinary. She was a champ at bridge,
crossword puzzles, or games of Jeopardy and Trivial Pursuit. Mom was a
staunch supporter of the monarchy, and served as Regent (president) of
many IODE chapters across the country. Her leadership was recognized
in being made a Honourary Life Member of the IODE in several
provinces.
Besides being a loving wife and parent to two active
children, Mom worked tirelessly with her church, the VON, and the
hospital auxiliary. She had boundless energy, and learning to use a
walker in her mid-90s hardly slowed her down. She loved to cook and
bake and found great pleasure in entertaining family and friends in
her home. Her roast turkey dinners, chocolate cakes, peach pies,
pickles and jams were legendary. So too was her penmanship and
fondness for letter writing. It was only this year that failing
eyesight prevented her from corresponding or reading the daily paper.
Despite that setback her mind remained sharp, as evident during our
Thanksgiving get-togethers just a few weeks ago.
As parents, our Mom and Dad were a team. The love, trust and
devotion they shared in their marriage served as an example to us all.
In retirement they enjoyed many annual trips to Barbados, United
Kingdom, Dominican Republic, as well as wonderful family summer
vacations spent at Pictou Lodge, our Dad filling whole albums with the
photos and notes he took to capture those special
occasions.
In their late 80s they continued to enjoy independent living
when they moved to Edinburgh Hall at Parkland Estates in Truro. They
settled in quickly, made countless new friends, and felt truly at
home. When our father died three years ago, Mom was able to carry on
very well, thanks to the kindness and friendship of the Parkland staff
and her neighbours.
Mom was immensely proud of her two children, six
grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and their spouses. As she
often said “You are my greatest joy”. When the pandemic made
it impossible for us to all be together, Mom was thrilled to be kept
up-to-date with our letters, calls, photos or virtual
visits.
Mom was predeceased by her parents, Hugh and Annie; brother,
Bill; sister, Mary; guardian, Suddy; husband, Jim. She is survived by
her son, Jamie, and his wife Gayle; daughter, Catherine, and her
husband Michael Epstein; grandchildren, Matt Saunders and his wife,
Marianne Brassard; Alyson Sturgess and her husband, Hugh Sturgess;
Beth Saunders; David, Alexander, and Johanna Epstein; precious great
grandchildren, Ingrid and Jack Sturgess. Mom also leaves her
sister-in-law, Emily Saunders (and Emily’s four children,
including Mom’s dear niece, Joan (Al) Gibson of Truro) as
well as a legion of loyal friends and former neighbours across
Canada.
We will miss you dearly Mom but shall cherish the memories,
lessons, legacy, laughter and love you left for us all. Our faith is
such that we can now picture you and Dad walking hand-in-hand,
greeting old acquaintances, and catching up on the three years you
spent apart. We wish to express our appreciation to Drs. Rideout,
Kelly and Henderson and well as the many other physicians, nurses and
staff at Colchester East Hants Health Centre for the gentle and expert
care they gave our mother in her final days; to Dave Hunt, Darlene
Walsh, Bree-Lynn Pelly and other staff at Edinburgh Hall for their
extraordinary kindness to Mom; to Reverend Valerie Kingsbury for the
spiritual comfort she always provided; to her IODE and First United
Church family and to the many longstanding friends (or their children)
who took the time to call or visit our mother over the
years.
Our mother’s funeral will be held 1 p.m., Monday,
November 8, 2021, at First United Church, 711 Prince Street, Truro,
Reverend Valerie Kingsbury officiating. (Please note
that proof of double vaccination and photo identification will be
requested prior to entry to the church for the funeral service and
masks must be worn at all times; thank you for your co-operation and
understanding.) Live webcasting of the funeral service
will be available at 12:55 p.m., Monday, November 8, 2021, and will
remain on this site for some time. Private interment in Heatherdale
Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, you might choose to remember our mother
by volunteering to help those less fortunate in your community, or by
making a donation to the bursary we have established in our
Mom’s name at the Isgonish Chapter of the IODE, or to First
United Church or Colchester East Hants Health Centre
Foundation.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Mattatall-Varner Funeral
Home, 55 Young Street, Truro. Private messages of condolence may be
sent to the family by viewing Jean’s obituary on-line and
selecting “Send A Condolence” at:
www.mattatallvarnerfh.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Jean Sutherland Saunders 1924 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Truro, Province: Nova Scotia