BAMFORD, LOUISE MITCHELL Louise Mitchell Bamford, 92, of Fredericton and formerly of Doaktown, N.B., passed away April 19, 2008 at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital following a brief illness. Born April 6, 1916 in Doaktown, N.B., she was the daughter of the late William Albert Bamford and Annie Mary Jane Mitchell. Louise was predeceased by her sister Katherine in 1989. She is survived by many cousins including John Bamford (Linda) and their daughters, Cindy and Vicki and special friend, Mary Feener (Greg). Louise graduated from the Provincial Normal School in Fredericton in 1933 and taught one year at the Morehouse School in Upper Blackville, N.B. where she had 28 students in Grade One and taught eight grades in a one-room school. During the winter, she had to snowshoe the two and one-half miles to school. In those days, the roads were not ploughed. She subsequently attended Mount Allison University, where she earned the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Home Economics (1938) and later, Bachelor of Education (1962). She taught in the Annapolis Valley, N.S., before leaving to undertake a dietetic course at the Toronto General Hospital in 1942-1943. After a brief career as a dietician in Montreal, she returned to New Brunswick in 1946 and resumed her teaching career, first in Moncton and then, after 1952, in Doaktown. The students of Doaktown Consolidated High School dedicated the 1970 Year Book to Louise in recognition of "her patience, interest in students and dedication to her profession." She retired from teaching in 1973. Louise and her sister Katherine, who was also a teacher, traveled extensively during their retirement. In 1991, Louise and her sister Katherine were named patrons of the Miramichi Salmon Museum, (since renamed the Atlantic Salmon Museum) and inducted into the Museum's Hall of Fame. They played major roles in establishing the Museum and served on its board of directors. The Association Museums New Brunswick Inc. honoured Louise with a Recognition of Achievement Award in appreciation of her involvement in the building of the Miramichi Salmon Museum, the restorations of the Nelson Hollow Covered Bridge, the Doak House and the Old Mitchell Cemetery. In 1996, Louise organized a ceremony to dedicate the Old Mitchell Cemetery, in Doaktown. After a visit to the cemetery in the 1950s, she single handedly set out to make a plan of the cemetery and to identify the nearly 50 persons who were buried there, traveling to Fredericton for the next twenty years to search old newspapers and archival papers to find relevant birth and death dates. Louise researched her family's history since the mid-1960s and was the author of The Bamford Saga, 1764- 1989 which was published in Fredericton in 1989 and dedicated as a "Memorial to my dear sister, Katherine L. Bamford, who without her help and encouragement I would never have kept at it all these twenty-three years." Her passion and knowledge of genealogy gained her the respect of her many contacts throughout Canada and the United States. In 1992 she was registered as a member of the United Empire Loyalist's Association of Canada through her descent from James Sutter, a United Empire Loyalist. She worked hard and was very proud to be a descendent of the Mayflower Pilgrims. She continued to work on her genealogy projects until the time of her death. Donations in Louise's memory to the Atlantic Salmon Museum or to a charity of the donor's choice would be appreciated. Visitation will be held at the St. Thomas United Church, 17 Pleasant Street, Doaktown, New Brunswick E9C 1B5 on Wednesday, April 23 from 2 to 5 p.m. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at the St. Thomas United Church. Rev. William MacKinnon and Rev. Kathi Zwicker will officiate. Interment will be in the family plot in St. Thomas United Church Cemetery immediately following the service. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Davidson Funeral Home (506) 622-7464 in Miramichi.