Donations
in her memory to the society of one’s choice would be appreciated by the family.Mrs. Margaret Frances Henry
1905-2006
At the Oromocto Public Hospital, Oromocto, NB, on September 2nd, 2006, Mrs. Margaret Frances Henry, formerly of St. George, NB, wife of the late Charles Leroy Henry. Born at Isle of White, England, on April 6th, 1905, she was a daughter of the late Henry and Margaret (Smith) Till.
Mrs. Henry is survived by four sons; Donald (Reta) of Kirkfield, ON, Manferd (Eva) of Peterborough, ON, Glenn (Ruby) of Scotchtown, NB, Gary (Lilla) of Ottawa, ON, two sisters; Amy Buchanan and Marion Kaulback of Hamilton, ON, several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by two daughters; Doris and Alice, two sisters; Jennie and Bessie, and one brother, Charles.
Resting at the St. Mark’s Anglican Church, St. George, NB, from where the service will be held on Monday at 3 pm with interment in the St. George Rural Cemetery. Visiting will be held at the church on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9 pm. Donations in her memory to the society of ones choice would be appreciated by the family. Arrangements in the care of the St. George Funeral Home (755-3533), 26 Portage St., St. George, NB
www.stgeorgefh.ca
ST. GEORGE - Friends and relatives said a sad goodbye to Margaret Henry this week, who died at the Oromocto Public Hospital Saturday at the age of 101.
Until last year, when she moved to Forever Young, a senior’s home at Clark’s Corner in the Fredericton area, she had lived here in St. George which is where she and her late husband, Charles, who died in 1987, raised their six children.
She is survived by four sons: Donald of Kirkfield, Ont., Manfred of Peterborough, Ont., Glenn of Scotchtown, N.B., and Gary of Ottawa, two sisters, Ann and Marion, both of Hamilton, Ont., several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great, great grandchildren.
She was predeceased by two daughters, Doris and Alice, two sisters, Jennie and Bessie and one brother Charles.
This lovely lady is also mourned by her many friends and I count myself lucky to have had her as a neighbour for over 20 years.
Prior to moving to the seniors home she had spent most of her time living with her late daughter, Doris Harmon, returning to her own home for a few weeks in the summer when family came to visit but before that had lived on Pancake Hill for almost 50 years. She was actually born in the Isle of Wight, in England, but her family came to Canada when she was just 13 months old.
The daughter of Harry and Margaret Till, she told me last year when she celebrated her 100th birthday that they travelled all over New Brunswick with her father working at various jobs before coming to St. George where he worked in the pulp mill.
When the pulp mill shut down, the family moved to Campbellton so she went to school both there and the old St. George Superior School. With the reopening of the pulp mill they returned to St. George.
She left school at the age of 15 or 16 and went to work doing housework.
Among the places she recalled working were the old Victoria Hotel – located where St.George Funeral Home is now and - and at the old Murray House.
Later, on occasions, she worked for Connors Bros Limited.
The Henrys met casually through the young crowd they were both part of and were married in her parents’ home when she was 19. Their first home was not too far from Pancake Hill on nearby Campbell Hill but when the depression came they moved to Campbellton for a few years.
When the mill started up again they returned to St. George, first living on South Street then moving to Pancake Hill. Their first home on the hill was what is now my home although in those days it was what today would be called a duplex with two families sharing the house - one family living on each side but sharing the same staircase. They later moved across the street.
Margaret was a member of the Ladies Orange Lodge as well as the Anglican Church Women (ACW) and was a life member of the Royal Canadian Legion Auxiliary. She was also involved in many women’s groups including curling - she was a member of the St. George Curling Club - broomball and quilting circles.
During the Second World War, she was involved with the Red Cross, making mittens and other items to help out. Even with six children she still found time to quilt, knit and crochet. An excellent cook she was known for her chocolate cake, molasses cookies and biscuits.
She told me last year she was also known as “Mrs. Turkey," because when a turkey needed to be cooked for a church supper, she would always oblige.
Both Margaret and Charlie loved to travel, and had been from one side of the country to the other. I asked her last year what was the secret to her longevity, and she laughingly told me she thought it was due to good clean living.
Whatever it was, she brought a lot of joy to those of us who knew and loved her. I always thought of her as a second mother, since she was so easy to talk to and my own mother died a number of years ago and my two sons thought of her as a special grandmother.
Charlotte MLA Rick Doucet, who grew up in what is now my home, said he too loved Margaret and Charlie like second grandparents. He said he remembers digging a trench through the snow to get down to their house when he was a youngster and going in for milk and cookies.
“They were such an institution in St. George. They were fine community people.”
Even though we hadn’t seen as much of her as we would have liked during the past year we are all going to miss that lovely smile and our hearts go out to her family at this time.
The funeral service was held at St. Mark’s Anglican Church Monday afternoon with interment in the St. George Rural Cemetery.
Donations
in her memory to the society of one’s choice would be appreciated by the family.
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