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Elizabeth Stewart

STEWART, MARGARET ELIZABETH (BETTY GASKIN)
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing on April 29, 2016, of Margaret Elizabeth (Betty Gaskin) Stewart in southeastern New Brunswick. Betty passed away comfortably, surrounded by family, after a brief illness at Sackville Memorial Hospital in her one hundredth year. Born in Upper Coverdale New Brunswick on Christmas Eve, 1916, she was the second-youngest child of the late Alfred Gaskin and Margaret Dawson.
She was predeceased by all her siblings: Harold, Ronald, Mary Trueman of Point de Bute, and Pauline (Alldread) Hodgson of Bowmanville, Ontario. Her beloved husband of 46 years, Walter Stewart, passed away in 1988.
Betty was born and grew up on a farm in Upper Coverdale, where she and her family carried on the pioneering determination that her great-grandfather William (Dixon) Gaskin had when he immigrated to Canada from Canterbury, England, in 1816. After graduating from Aberdeen High School in Moncton in 1934, Betty helped out with family before starting formal nursing training in 1936. She went on to graduate as a registered nurse from the Montreal General Hospital School for Nursing in 1939. While nursing in Montreal, a patient named Walter was smitten with Betty, but a few weeks later, she moved to a new job at University Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Walter and Betty kept a long distance romance going and after having only spent 14 days together in person, she accepted Walter’s proposal just before he enlisted in the Canadian Army. As soon as he finished officer training, they were married in Montreal on August 7, 1942. Wartime postings kept Betty and Walter apart for long periods. Walter was still involved with the Kiska Invasion in the Aleutians when their first son, William (Bill) David Stewart, was born in Saint John New Brunswick in 1943. Following the liberation of Holland in 1944, Walter was stationed in Apeldoorn until the end of the war. In 1946, Walter returned to work in the accounting department of J. Walter Thompson in Montreal and after a few years, the young family settled in St. Lambert, where Betty became active in the United Church. Another son, Robert (Bob) Donald Stewart, was born in 1953, in the same hospital where Betty had trained. Over the years, Betty’s nursing skills were selflessly applied to many immediate and extended family members in times of need.
In 1969, Bill stayed on working in Montreal and the rest of the family moved to Sackville, New Brunswick, where Walter was the administrator for Sackville Memorial Hospital. In addition to her volunteering with the UCW, Betty became very active in the Hospital Auxiliary and remained so for over 40 years. Walter and Betty moved in 1975 to Pointe de Bute, New Brunswick, where they spent many summer days tending their flower and vegetable gardens. Visits to their sons’ families in Ontario helped shorten the winters, as did doting on four grandchildren, who fondly remember their Nana’s gingersnaps and peanut butter balls. After Walter passed, Betty moved into an apartment in Sackville that she was able to maintain until a stroke in 2012. There she was busier than ever. From the apartment, she put her exceptional memory to work. She compiled the history of the Sackville Memorial Hospital Auxiliary from 1945 to 2000. She then wrote up her recollections of the family history, which she integrated with photographs and documents going back into the 1800s. She then created detailed and personalized family history albums for each of her sons and nephews, which have become cherished family records.
Countryside Residence in Port Elgin, New Brunswick, provided Betty with great care since 2012. Living there allowed her to remain bright and engaged with a new extended family while still being able to enjoy visitors, day trips around the region, and short stays down to Bedford. Betty’s happiness was always based on the warmth of the family and friends that increased year after year. She deeply appreciated the loving care she received at Countryside, as does her family.
Betty will be sadly missed by many. Her sons, Bill (Norma) and Bob (Ann), and the four grandchildren, Natalie (Alain Chayer), Robyn, Matthew (Katherine), and Sarah (Eric Anderson), numerous Gaskin-Trueman-Stewart nieces and nephews—who knew her as Aunt Libby or Auntie Betty and many friends. Her caring nature, determination, and optimism inspired many who got to know her over the years.
Arrangements are under the care and supervision of Jones Funeral Home, 70 Bridge Street, Sackville (506-364-1300). Honouring Betty's request, there will be no visitation or service at this time. A summertime service followed by internment at Fernhill Cemetery in Saint John will be held at a later date.
Donations may be made to the Sackville Memorial Hospital Foundation or charity of your choice.
Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting Betty’s online memorial at www.jonesfuneralhome.ca or through the Jones Funeral Home Facebook Page.

 

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