Anna Taylor
Born In: Nova Scotia, Canada
Passed in: Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Passed on: January 30th, 2015
Fare thee well, love.
Our beloved mother Anna Taylor died Friday, January 30, at Dartmouth General Hospital. She was 87. Born in Sydney, Cape Breton, she was the only daughter of Gordon and Dorothy Rudderham. After graduating from Sydney Academy she left the family farm and her four brothers for Halifax, where she studied nursing at the Victoria General Hospital. Her compassion made nursing a natural choice. That and her acute intelligence led her to place first in all of Nova Scotia in her RN exams. Working at the Victoria General Hospital, she met a handsome young intern, Al Taylor, of St. John’s and they were married at her family farm in Point Edward in 1950. His work as a physician and later in hospital administration resulted in many moves for the family. All four of their children were born in different locations spanning three provinces. In 1973 they were very happy to return to Halifax to be closer to the Maritimes and family. There they lived until his sudden death by heart attack at the age of 50, in 1976. Anna was devastated by the loss of Al and mourned him all her life. Soon after his death she moved back to the family farm in Point Edward with her youngest daughter Barbara. She cherished life on the farm with its changing seasons and rhythms of country life, as well as being near her four brothers and their families. She loved haymaking, new calves, the vegetable garden, and swimming in the ocean. A generation of haymakers at the farm will remember Anna for her contributions of lemonade, cookies, sandwiches and muffins. In her later years, she remained dedicated to helping others and being of use to her brother, Sam. She enjoyed greatly her annual trips to Bermuda. She was an avid reader and experienced the world and its people through books, television and the movies. Her quiet grace and cheerfulness made her a patient and endearing mother. Her support and encouragement were constant. In 2008 she returned to Halifax to be closer to her daughters Leslie and Barbara. Anna is survived by her four children: Gordon (Kanata, ON), Alison (Andrew Love, Calgary), Leslie (Stuart Dalton, deceased, Halifax) and Barbara, Dartmouth. She is also survived by her two youngest brothers Robert (Bette) Rudderham, Halifax and Point Edward and Rowe (Sally) Rudderham, Westmount, Cape Breton, and sister-in-law Dawn Rudderham, Point Edward. She was predeceased by her brothers Samuel (Sam) and William Jerome(Jerry). Anna is also survived by four grandchildren: Jeffrey Love (Heather), Toronto, ON, Katie Love (David Epstein) , Calgary; Gerald Dalton (Daegu, South Korea) and Alan Dalton (Halifax), by two great grandchildren, Eloise Love and Elliot Epstein, and by many nieces and nephews. Her children would like to thank the staff of Glasgow Hall, and the staff of the Dartmouth General Hospital, 3 West, for their care and kindness. No memorial service will be held at this time. A family memorial service will be held in Cape Breton at a later date. As she asked, her ashes will be scattered at the farm, a place that brought her great peace all her life. Donations in her memory may be made to any organization that supports literacy or humanitarian causes.
Online condolences may be left at www.coleharbourfuneral.com
