Kathryn Archibald

On Friday night, we said good-bye to our Mom, Kay Archibald. There were many ages and stages to her long life.

There was the lovely, young Kay Wallace who grew up in the south end of Halifax with her Mom and Dad, sister Peggy, and brother Doug. Many of those days were spent on the Arm, often in a canoe with one of her many friends. Kay also always loved to go dancing. The war years brought some hardship to her family, but Kay was lucky in finding an upside to those years. The war brought Kay many a handsome young officer, only too happy to find he had a spot on Kay's busy dance-card.

Then there was Kay Milsom, the young woman who married our Dad, David, in 1944. In 1947, she gave birth to son Bruce, in 1950, Doug, in 1952, Scott, and in 1955, finally by a girl, Sally (Langille). Then, in 1961 came Peggy, a very big but welcome surprise.

Mom’s next stage was that of a single, working Mom. She and David had an amicable divorce in the late ‘60s and Mom then joined the workforce in middle age. She became a secretary, first for the Maritime School of Social Work and later at the Abbie Lane Hospital. Despite the hardships of single motherhood, Kay came to enjoy both her work and her independence.

Next came the age of Kay Archibald, or what we call the Orrin years. In the mid-‘80s, Mom retired and married Orrin Archibald, a man she had known for most of her life and with whom she fell very much in love. Orrin and Kay shared many good times together, from trips abroad to quiet afternoons in their Bedford Basin boathouse. They shared their lives with both the Archibald and Milsom families, and they created a haven on the Basin for all of us, very much including their grandchildren.

In her last stage, Mom was beset by an illness that eventually brought an end to those happy Bedford years. She moved to Northwood Manor, close to the homes of most of her children and grandchildren. She spent the last four years of her life there.

Mom died peacefully, surrounded by her family and all the love she had created. She was magnificent, and will be missed. At the end, she was beautiful. She was predeceased by sister Peggy, brother Doug, son Bruce, granddaughter Sarah (Milsom), and, finally, husband Orrin. We survive her, as does Scott’s wife, Jeannie (Kwan), Sally’s husband Rob (Langille), and Peggy’s husband, Lee (Stanley). As well, she leaves behind seven well-loved and loving grandchildren.

We want to thank all the Northwood staff who showed Kay and all of us such loving kindness. Visitation will be at J.A. Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, Halifax on Monday, November 1, 6:00-8:00 pm. A memorial service will follow there on Tuesday November, 2 at 1:00 pm. Donations to Metro Food Bank or the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia. Please visit www.jasnowfuneralhome.com