Anna Geraldine McLean

Anna Geraldine  McLean
Peacefully, at the Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John NB on October 31, 2007, Mrs. Anna Geraldine (Merrithew) McLean, loving wife of 61 years to James “Jim” W. H. McLean of St. George, NB. Born in Guysborough Nova Scotia on October 25, 1927, she was a daughter of the late Guy A. and Lena A. (Stairs) Merrithew. A loving wife, mother, grandmother and sister she is survived by: two daughters; Jane (Wayne) Lee of St. George and Kathy (Pat) Connors of Riverview NB, two sons; Brian (Brenda) McLean and Jim McLean JR. both of Saint John, eight grandchildren: Alyssa (Jason) MacIsaac, Greg Lee, Brad and Tim Mclean, Jamie (Nadine) Connors, Jeffrey Connors, Sarah and Joey McLean, four great-grandchildren: Brady, Ty, Emily and Holly, two brothers; Doug (Rhoda) Merrithew of Garnett Settlement NB, Hal (Lorna) Merrithew of Carleton Place Ont., one sister; Wynona Geldart of Riverview NB, sister in laws; Bobbie Merrithew of Springfield NB and Mary Merrithew of Saint John NB and brother in law; Charles (Annabelle) Mclean of Riverview NB and several nieces, nephews and cousins. In addition to her parents she was predeceased by two brothers; Gerald and Don Merrithew and brother in laws; Ted McLean and Eldon Geldart.

Anna was a devoted homemaker who loved and cared for her home and family. She also enjoyed her involvement with the Granite Town Seniors of St. George and her coffee friends. She was a charter member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Royal Canadian Legion Kennebecasis Branch # 58.

Resting at the St. George Funeral Home & Crematorium (755-3533) 26 Portage Street, St. George NB from where the service will be held on Saturday at 11:00 am with Pastor Gordon Cooke and Rev. Canon David Genge officiating. A private interment will be held at the St. George Rural Cemetery. Visiting at the funeral home on Friday from 2-4 and 7-9 pm. In Anna’s memory, donations to the Charlotte County Cancer Society, or a charity of the donor’s choice would be appreciated by the family. Special thanks go out to the Extra Mural of St. George, Dr. Kaminska of St. George, Dr. Wildish of the Palliative Care Outreach Service of Saint John and The Palliative Care Unit of the Saint John Regional Hospital.

On-the-go grandma loved family occasions

Mike Mullen
Telegraph-Journal

ST. GEORGE - Outgoing and generous by nature, Anna McLean doted on eight grand kids and four great-grandchildren.

But she was anything but the stereotypical grandma who sits at home and knits.

"(Mom) always liked to be on the go," Jane Lee, her youngest daughter and next-door-neighbour, said Friday. "If the car was going anywhere, she loved to go.

"And she loved to shop."

Lee said her mother, a onetime curler, was also active in the Granite Town Seniors, volunteered at the local tourist bureau and was part of a group of local ladies who met almost daily over coffee or tea.

"Her whole life revolved around her family and friends," said Lee. "She loved family get-togethers. We were a family that got together for every special occasions, anniversaries and birthdays - and that meant everything to her."

McLean, who had beaten cervical cancer in 1974 and bladder cancer in 2004, was diagnosed with cancer again on Sept. 21.

She died on Wednesday, six days after turning 80, at the Regional Hospital.

McLean's funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m today at the St. George Funeral Home, with Rev. Canon David Genge and Rev. Gordon Cooke officiating.

Lee believes her mother's happiest years were those she and her husband of 61 years, James (Jim) W. H. McLean, spent in St. George after he retired from NB Power.

"I think mom and dad liked living in a small town, that small-town atmosphere. They never could have survived this long in the city. They loved being able to go downtown and know everybody."

Born Anna Geraldine Merrithew in Guysborough, N.S. on Oct. 25, 1927, she was one of six children of the late Guy A. and Lena A. (Stairs) Merrithew.

Her father, a machinist, moved his young family to Fairvale, where Anna grew up. Anna met her future husband while working at the Wasson's lunch counter in uptown Saint John, as Jim recalled Friday, when she borrowed 25 cents from him so she could catch the train home to Fairvale.

Jim was serving in the Canadian Navy when the two got hitched at the Baptist Church in Fairvale on Oct. 5, 1946, so Anna moved to Halifax. All four of their children - daughters Jane (Lee) and Kathy (Connors), of Riverview, and sons Brian and Jim Jr. of Saint John - were born there before her husband returned to civilian life in 1951, moving his family to Fairvale.

Jim's work with NB Power took the family to Bathurst, St. George and back to Saint John. The McLeans also spent time in Fredericton prior to retiring in St. George.

Muriel Bernard is one of those who is glad she chose the Granite Town in 1984.

"When I first moved here 30 years, I was very lonesome for Grand Falls. She was my first friend and took me everywhere.

"She enjoyed every day of life," Bernard added. "She went out every day and walked and she loved going on the seniors' trips."

Besides her husband and children, Anna's survivors include a sister, two brothers, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Always proud of the accomplishments of her late brother Gerald S. Merrithew, a former Conservative cabinet minister at both the provincial and federal levels, Lee said her mother was a died-in-the-wool Tory who didn't much care for Liberals.

But Bernard said her political allegiance didn't stop Ann from becoming friends with "our Ricky-" as she referred to Liberal Fisheries Minister Rick Doucet of St. George - or Doucet from visiting her after she fell ill.