Claire Irvine Fiske

Died peacefully, with her daughters by her side, on September 2, 2021 at the VG Hospital in Halifax.

Claire was raised on the family farm in Granville, the daughter of Clarence and Florence Longley. She is survived by her daughters, Heather Fiske of Lawrencetown and Shari Carpenter (Mitch Oncea) of Windsor, ON; grandchildren Michael Hill (Nelly), Madelaine Werier (Joel), Casey Carpenter, and Devon Carpenter; great-grandchildren Kevin and Ben Hill and Rachel and Samuel Werier; brothers-in-law Ken Marchant and John Fiske: and many nephews and nieces. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 65 years, Ralph Fiske; her son Donald Alan (“Dusty”); and her sister Ethel Marchant.

After her father’s death, Claire’s mother, a nurse, made a living by turning the farmhouse into a nursing home. Many of the volunteer jobs that Claire did over the years—with developmentally delayed children, in the IWK burn unit, as a literacy instructor, and at the Cancer Lodge, to mention only a few—called on the caregiving skills that she had developed in the nursing home.

At 17, Claire taught grades 1-10 in a one-room school “over the mountain”, and then worked at Simpson’s until she married Ralph at 19. Later in life she managed a craft shop, did interior decorating for Fiske Inns and for various charitable organizations, and was owner-operator of four Panhandler stores. She was a talented writer who took journalism at King’s College and published several articles.

A nurturing force, Claire mothered her three children, their friends, her friends, her extended family, the young women who worked in her stores, and anyone who seemed in need of her attention. She provided chauffeur service, consolation, and celebration. Anyone who sat down in her vicinity would be fed and admired.

Claire’s family wish to thank the staff at Parkland at the Gardens, who provided professional care with love and respect, even under the demanding circumstances of the pandemic. The medical and nursing staff at the QE II and the VG were remarkable. We felt that Mum was cherished in her final hours and will never forget the help they gave to her, and to us.

Funeral will be held Thursday, September 9, on what would have been her 89th birthday, at Saint Andrew’s United Church in Halifax, at 1:30 p.m.

For those unable to attend the service in person it will be livestreamed and the details will be available on the funeral home website.

Memorial donations can be made to the Salvation Army, who were so helpful to Dusty during his hard times, or to the Alzheimer’s Society