Diana’s Obituary
Diana Maria Louisa Gaul (Steyt), 95yrs, formerly of Lawrencetown, passed away Thursday December 17th, 2022, at the Heart of the Valley Care Facility, Middleton. Diana was born in Heule, Belgium, the 5th of 9 children, to parents Germaine and Camiel Steyt. At the age of 12, the war raged atrocities in her community. She and her siblings saw and were exposed to many horrors. Their teenage years were stolen from them. When the Canadian army liberated the area of Kortrijk, everyone gathered to cheer and watch as the army paraded into the streets. Diana noticed a young soldier sitting on one of the tanks and waved to him as the massive machine passed by. The soldiers were billeted to homes on her street and would sometimes go door to door looking for someone to do their laundry in exchange for food stamps. Diana opened the door of her father’s house to see Reginald Gaul, the soldier she had noticed on the tank when the army came to town. Her mother Germaine was honoured to do the young man’s clothes, and soon a courtship began between Reg and Diana. They were married several months later. At the conclusion of the war, Reg returned home with the troops. She packed a steamer trunk with her belongings and wedding gifts, said farewell to her family, and boarded the Aquitania, headed for Canada. The young war-bride landed at Pier 21 two days after her 18th birthday. Her husband, Reg (Gunner), met her with open arms and together they settled in the Annapolis Valley to raise a family of four children during very hard times. Her lack of the English language made everyday life very difficult, but through her struggles to understand, and be understood, she mastered the language and spoke it with a beautiful Belgian accent. She worked at Merry’s Toyland for many years and was able to make several trips back to see her family in Belgium. She was a wonderful cook and loved making special pies for her boys. (She made the best coconut cream pie you can imagine.) She was a wonderful housekeeper, dusted almost daily, adored fresh cut flowers, loved having her photo taken, and cherished the beautiful keepsakes from her homeland. Diana was predeceased by her husband, Reginald Rupert Gaul, her parents Germaine and Camiel Steyt, brothers, Camiel, Gustaaf, George, Albriek, and sisters, Ierena, Raymonda. She is survived by her four children, Reggie Jr. (Connie) of Brickton, Judy White (Keith) of Dartmouth, Gary (Viki) of Brickton and Michael (Pam) of Lawrencetown. Grandchildren, Stephanie, Derek, Pebbles, Jesse, Erin, Jenna, and eight great grandchildren, Cooper, Tucker, Chandler, Finn, Cullen, Hunter, Emersyn and Oliver, with two more on the way. She is also survived by two sisters, Jeanine and Monique and other extended family in Belgium. We are very sad to lose our Mom, Nan and Grandmother, but happy in our hearts knowing she will not suffer any more discomforts, including the terrible feelings of homesickness she endured all her adult life. The famous song “We’ll meet again’, by Vera Lynn, holds the promise we will cling to. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHcunREYzNY The family extends sincere thanks to the staff of the Spa Springs unit at Heart of the Valley, with a special thank you to Dr. Michelle Saxon. Cremation has taken place and Interment will be at a later date in Fairview Cemetery, Lawrencetown. Arrangements have been entrusted to Middleton Funeral Home, 398 Main Street (902) 825-3448. Donations in memory may be made to: Nova Scotia Mental Health- mha.nshealth.ca/en or Fairview Cemetery, Lawrencetown.
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2022
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Diana Maria Louisa Gaul 2022 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
Death notice for the town of: Middleton, Province: Nova Scotia