“All that we give to the lives of others comes back into
our own” Edwin Markham. This motto for The Moncton Hospital
School of Nursing, also served as the way alumni Catherine Hope, lived
her life. Catherine went to her eternal resting place on
July 17, 2022 after a long illness.
Catherine was born in 1937 in Seaview, PEI. Although she
moved with her mother to Summerside at a young age due to the death of
her father, Seaview “my shore” remained close to her
heart. She would always pick dulse to eat during her walks
along the shore.
Raised by a single parent before a social safety net was not
easy. She loved spending time with her relatives away from
Summerside during holidays. Her early struggles planted
seeds of hard work, drive and ambition that would come to fruition in
later years.
It was 1949 that she came to be part of the Church of the
Nazarene, which was life changing for her. Mentored by Rev. David and
Ruth Morrison, the church became a guidepost in her life.
She even spent a year at Eastern Nazarene College prior to deciding to
train as a nurse in Moncton. She then transferred her
membership to Moncton First Church of the Nazarene. Her commitment to
her church and her God cannot be understated. She acted on
the church board for decades, was highly involved in mission work and
frequently assisted with Big Lake Nazarene Camp in Oxford, NS acting
as both co-director of girls’ camp and nurse on numerous
occasions. In her retirement, she and her dear friend,
Dorothy Petherick, were known for organizing the church district
assembly.
In addition to her family, church and God, a balancing act on
it’s own, Catherine was dedicated to her nursing
career. She graduated with the class of 1960 and was present
at so many reunions with lifelong friends made during her
training. After starting as a floor nurse, Catherine became
Assistant Head Nurse in the operating room and head nurse on the
gynaecology unit in 1968. In the early 70s she was chosen
along with 2 other nurses to pioneer the position of Nurse
Clinician. In the late 70s, she became the first Discharge
Planning Co-ordinator in New Brunswick, travelling to various
hospitals across Canada for her training. She eventually
became treasurer of the national society for discharge
planning. Catherine loved her work. To list all of
her achievements would take pages. But she did everything
she could and “no” was not in her vocabulary.
The nurses’ alumnae operated the hospital coffee
shop. She became the secretary in the 1970s and held this
position for 40 years. While it was volunteer work, it
seemed like another job. She was always on call to deal with
any issue and was greatly appreciated by the staff. She
signed the contract for the Tim Hortons in the hospital lobby which
stands to this day.
Catherine would not like to be called a career woman, but she
clearly was. She took 3 weeks off for each child and was a
working woman long before it became the norm. She never
neglected her family and was present for every event in her
children’s and grandchildren’s lives. If
a relative was sick on PEI or was needed for any reason she found time
to go over and assist.
Family, career, church, it is remarkable she had any other
time but she found it to be involved in her community. She
was president of the local chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society and
the late 1970s. In retirement she was president of the
Probus for a term. Her discharge planning job gave her a
special knack with seniors and she was asked to give speeches on
retirement.
In the late 70s when RNs in New Brunswick were encouraged to
get their Bsc in Nursing, she met this challenge and graduated from
University within 5 days of her son. She later went on to
earn 2 gerontology certificates.
It is hard to list all of Catherine’s
achievements. Christian, Nurse, Mother, caring relative,
community-minded and dear friend to so many. Perhaps the
best way to summarize her achievements is to describe what it was like
to go shopping with her in Moncton. If you planned for an
hour, you better make it two, she knew everybody and could not go into
a store or down an aisle without seeing someone she knew.
Everyone was so appreciative of whatever she had done for them or one
of their family members. She was beloved.
Catherine was pre-deceased by her husband of 56 years,
Darrell Hope. She leaves behind her son, Les (Jackie) and
daughter, Tammy (Darren). Her grandchildren, Megan (Joshua),
Joshua and Victoria were the joy of her life and she spent every
moment she could with them. She was the last living member
of her family, pre-deceased by her parents Edna and James Adams, by
sisters Margaret Brown (Leigh), Hilda McMullen (Norman), Olive Adams
and brothers Morton Adams (Ella) and John Adams (Irene).
Also surviving are sisters-in-law Joyce Carroll (late Llylle), Donna
Oke (late Bob) and Catherine VanBuskirk (late Dan). She was
pre-deceased by brother-in-law Doug Hope (late Norma), and
sister-in-law Marilyn Melnyk. Catherine is also survived by
many nieces and nephews. Of these, she had a very special
bond with her niece, Elizabeth Adams who was only 6 years younger and
was more like a sister. She was also a favourite aunt to her
sister Hilda’s 3 children; Greg, Susan and late
Olive. She was a teenager when they were born and babysat
them on many occasions. She told many tales of their
escapades!
The family would like to thank the staff and owners of McNair
Manor for their wonderful and thoughtful care of Catherine, Dr. Jenny
Robertson and Dr. Eva Eros who checked in with the nurses daily during
her final days. We are grateful for the dedicated group of
friends who visited Mom regularly, you all have a special place in our
hearts!
Visitation for Catherine will be on Monday, July 25, 2022
between 6:00 to 9:00 pm at Fergusons Funeral Home 1657 Mountain Rd,
Moncton (858-1995). The service will be held on Tuesday, July 26, 2022
in Fergusons Funeral Home Chapel at 11:00 am. Condolences for the
family may be left of the Fergusons Facebook page or at www.fergusonfuneralhome.com
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Moncton
First Church of the Nazarene, Friends of the Moncton Hospital or a
charity of your choice.
Nanny, we miss you and you are in our hearts
forever!
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Catherine Hope 1937 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Moncton, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick