Joan Elizabeth Nelson

NELSON, Joan - Joan Elizabeth Nelson passed peacefully at the F. J. Davey Home on Monday, January 29, 2018 in her 91st year. Beloved wife and soul mate of the late Red Nelson. Dearly loved and cherished mother of Marie (Folgo), Jennifer (Les), Morna (John), Redvers (Pamela) and Stephen (Dale). Loving Granny of Nathaniel (Shelly), Jonathan (Wes), Leslie, Lyndsey (Kyle), Ryan (Sarah), Benjamin (Jessi), Tyler, Emily (Ewan) and Geoffrey. Her grandchildren will treasure memories of delightful outdoor “adventures” with their Granny. Adoring Great Granny of Logan, Isla, Emilia, William, Brenna, Lukas, Hannah and Winnie. Dear sister of Pat Nelson (late Frank), the late Olive Irwin (late Tom), John Wilson (late Mary), Roy Wilson (late Anne) and the late Richard Wilson. Dear aunt of many special nieces and nephews. Special friend of Sherry Wilson. Sadly missed by all who knew her. A transplanted Londoner, Mum came to Canada in 1947. She loved her new life with Dad, especially the time they spent at Jocko Bay busy with family and with each other, making wonderful memories, as she said. Heartfelt thanks to the caring staff on 3B and 3C of the Sault Area Hospital and the Complex Continuing Care Unit. Much appreciation to the nurses and personal support workers of the F. J. Davey Home, third floor Cedar Grove and to Dr. Lane for their care and compassion. You were dear to her. Family and friends are invited to a celebration of Mum’s life on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at the Marconi Hall (Ballroom A) from 12 pm until 3 pm with sharing of memories at 12:30 pm. Memorial donations to the Ontario Finnish Rest Home Foundation, Matthews Memorial Hospital Association or the Group Health Centre Trust Fund would be appreciated. Mum, we will hear you in the wind as it blows through the pine trees and the waves as they splash on the shore. Always loved and forever remembered. (Arrangements entrusted to the Arthur Funeral Home – Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. East 705-759-2522).

Jonathan's Tribute to his Granny.....February 3, 2018

Life is an Adventure

About 25 years ago Granny and I decided to go for a swim in the North Channel together. This would not have been unusual except that it was May and chunks of ice could still be seen floating around Jocko Bay. I can’t remember whose idea it was, the eight-year-old boy or his venturesome grandmother, but splashing around in one-degree water while the rest of the family stood on the shoreline thinking we were crazy remains one of my fondest memories of her. “It will be an adventure” she would always say. And it was.

Everything was an adventure for Granny. Combing the shoreline for pudding stones, hiking up to the creek, picking blueberries and then making pancakes with them together. No matter how cold it was or how many mosquitos got you, it was always an adventure.

As a child I had very little understanding of the extent of Granny’s adventures over a lifetime. Would you believe the lady in knee high rubber boots busting up beaver dams in Northern Ontario was born in London, England, essentially the centre of the universe at the time. In fact she had a job at a bank right downtown and loved watching the people hurry by as she ate her lunch outside beside the stone lions. Granny was also a champion swimmer in her youth, the first and only girl on the team but she would never let that sort of thing get in her way. In 1939 Granny was evacuated from London to the village of Bletchingly with her mother and 5 siblings until the end of the war. It was there, as she was coming home from school across the field that she jumped a fence and spotted a handsome Canadian soldier for the first time.

Granny’s 5 children, 9 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren are very pleased that she took a chance on this soldier from St. Joe’s Island, a place I’m sure few people in all of England had ever heard of. If we’re speaking of adventures, Granny and her family crossed an entire ocean to start a new life, trading in the tall buildings for tall trees and the sounds of the city for the sound of the wind blowing through the forest. Also quite a bit more snow.

Granny loved nature. It will be hard for me to take a walk in the woods without thinking of her. Granny took pleasure in long walks in the bush, either with Grandpa, her children or her grandchildren or even all by herself. She would go fishing with Grandpa, join him on his trapping routes, and watch the otters play and slide into the creek. Granny, the Londoner, was in charge of stacking wood and cooking down at the firepit, and when it was all over she would help her grandchildren spot shooting stars late into the night. She loved animals, from her own pet dogs in England to her cats in Sault Ste. Marie. She loved to spot deer, porcupines, raccoons and chipmunks with us at camp. In fact we almost lost Granny about 20 years ago - as she was enjoying her morning coffee and watching the sunrise at the firepit, a bear crept up behind her close enough to brush her arm. Granny of course stood her ground and I think now it’s safe to say she outlived that bear. She probably finished her cup of coffee too.

Granny had a contagious sense of fun. She would allow her children and grandchildren to build forts out of the living room furniture. She dressed up her kids in home-made costumes for the annual community day parade in Hilton Beach. She sliced her pizza with scissors, and invented new recipes when we were missing one ingredient or another.

When I was in high school Granny decided she had enough of being afraid of her own piano so she hired me to teach her lessons. She insisted on paying me 5 dollars per lesson but would also usually bring over a bushel of vegetables from the garden or a pineapple because I like those. She was actually a pretty good student. And every time I had a concert or recital she was right there in the front row, my biggest fan.

I am so so glad that Granny and my husband Wes got to meet each other. Granny loved Wes and welcomed him into our family without hesitation. In fact I’m pretty sure she was actively trying to steal him from me. Wes and I got married in 2016. By then Granny was having a harder time leaving her apartment but she saved up her energy to come to our wedding. Not only that but she danced with her walker and stayed up past midnight, after most of the younger party animals had already called it a night.

Granny was such a special lady, not just to me but to everyone who knew her. I wish everyone in the world could have known Granny. She always put a positive spin on every situation and never once complained, even when she was 90 years old. These past few months in the hospital and at the Davey Home she was still dropping one-liners, making everyone smile and endearing herself to all.

I see Granny’s generosity of spirit in my mom who did such a wonderful job caring for her. I see her in my aunts and uncles, my brother and my 8 cousins who just about the best people I know. I recognize Granny in my brother and my cousins who criss-crossed the province to pursue an education and chase their dreams. I recognize Granny when my cousin Lyndsey invents a new word, when Geoffrey decides to learn a new skill, and I recognize her in myself each time I put the cereal box in the fridge instead of the pantry, or accidentally close the car door on my head. (which happened yesterday).

But along with all the memories, the most important gift Granny gave us all is the idea that life is an adventure. There is not a minute to be wasted. 90 impressive years, fully lived, is an inspiration and a reason for celebration.

And all of it was an adventure.

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NELSON, Joan - Joan Elizabeth Nelson passed peacefully at the F. J. Davey Home on Monday, January 29, 2018 in her 91st year. Beloved wife and soul mate of the late Red Nelson. Dearly loved and cherished mother of Marie (Folgo), Jennifer (Les), Morna (John), Redvers (Pamela) and Stephen (Dale). Loving Granny of Nathaniel (Shelly), Jonathan (Wes), Leslie, Lyndsey (Kyle), Ryan (Sarah), Benjamin (Jessi), Tyler, Emily (Ewan) and Geoffrey. Her grandchildren will treasure memories of delightful outdoor “adventures” with their Granny. Adoring Great Granny of Logan, Isla, Emilia, William, Brenna, Lukas, Hannah and Winnie. Dear sister of Pat Nelson (late Frank), the late Olive Irwin (late Tom), John Wilson (late Mary), Roy Wilson (late Anne) and the late Richard Wilson. Dear aunt of many special nieces and nephews. Special friend of Sherry Wilson. Sadly missed by all who knew her. A transplanted Londoner, Mum came to Canada in 1947. She loved her new life with Dad, especially the time they spent at Jocko Bay busy with family and with each other, making wonderful memories, as she said. Heartfelt thanks to the caring staff on 3B and 3C of the Sault Area Hospital and the Complex Continuing Care Unit. Much appreciation to the nurses and personal support workers of the F. J. Davey Home, third floor Cedar Grove and to Dr. Lane for their care and compassion. You were dear to her. Family and friends are invited to a celebration of Mum’s life on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at the Marconi Hall (Ballroom A) from 12 pm until 3 pm with sharing of memories at 12:30 pm. Memorial donations to the Ontario Finnish Rest Home Foundation, Matthews Memorial Hospital Association or the Group Health Centre Trust Fund would be appreciated. Mum, we will hear you in the wind as it blows through the pine trees and the waves as they splash on the shore. Always loved and forever remembered. (Arrangements entrusted to the Arthur Funeral Home – Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. East 705-759-2522).