Beverley Ann Sutherland

I was born on March 10, 1950 in Quebec and grew up in Dorval. I was adopted by Trenholme and Margaret Lodge and taken home on Feb 14, 1951 into a family with 2 sons and one daughter. I was told of my adoption ever since I can remember by mom. She told me so that if anyone made fun of me regarding my adoption, to tell them that "their parents were stuck with them and I was chosen"!

There was a large gap between me and the others as my sister was 5 years older, one brother was 7 years and the other was 8 years older. I grew up making friends with a child that lived across the street and she was French! We could not converse at first but as all children do, we communicated in other ways. She was my best friend till High School. It is funny that I learned to understand the French language but never could speak it.

I started Grade one when I was 5 years old and was the youngest in the class. I attended St. Veronica's school from Grade 1-7 but went to grade 8 at Sacred Heart boarding school in Montreal. Driving my parents crazy with calls I was allowed to go to John XX111 for grades 9,10 & 11 and graduated High school in 1966 at the age of 16. Throughout the years I attended Brownies and then Girl Guides till I was 13 years old. I also took ballet for 5 years and as a young child that was one of my dreams. As I grew older my dreams changed to nursing but found out that I was too young to be accepted into nursing school as then you had to be 21 when you graduated which was the legal age for any legal documentation! I started grade 12 which was not mandatory but dropped out in March 1967 and started a job at Sunlife Insurance Co. They were coding all their insurance policies to be fed into the computer. As part of Sun Life's hiring practice, you were examined by a doctor and they found out that I possibly had diabetes. This was unusual as the testing showed I was very mild and anyone at my age should have required insulin, but I didn't!

In July 1967, my parents were going to Antigonish, Nova Scotia to visit my brother, Tren and was told I had to go with them! This was the turning point in my life! I loved it there and wanted to stay for the Highland Games and the Queen Mother was coming to Antigonish! I had applied in the spring to training schools in Montreal but after following my older siblings through school and with their teachers, I applied to St. Martha's School of Nursing and was accepted.

This started my journey to James!

I met him during Christmas my first year as I had New Years off. I think the nursing school was concerned about my travelling so soon after having my appendix out on Dec 6, 1967. There was only 5-6 students from the first year class left in residence and one girl, being a "Townie" had a call from a friend asking if she and a few friends wanted to go to a party. That is where I first met James! He had just gotten out of the hospital in October after spending a year there due to a car accident. All I saw was a skinny guy walking with 2 canes! I met up with him again in March 1968 at the nursing school's coffee house and we started dating from then on. After a few dates I knew he was the "one!" He was romantic, writing me poetry and singing me love songs! Since he didn't drive, we walked all over town on our dates. Our love grew and we supported each other even then. He had to go back to high school to graduate " as the accident happened in the fall of him starting grade 11" and I had to repeat my first year of training, as I had flunked 3 exams. We were writing exams and repeats in between exams and although I passed the repeat exams at the end of it all, I had flunked the three. I have always had a problem throughout my schooling with tests, my mind shuts down!

James proposed to me on Nov 17, 1970 after taking me out to dinner at the "Moon Palace" restaurant in town! We walked around and he was looking for a place to give me the ring in private. I graduated from Nursing school in May 1971 and wrote my government RN exams in Halifax in June. I PASSED first try!

We were married on August 28, 1971 in St Ninian's Cathedral in Antigonish! As James was working in the bank in Windsor, N.S. our first home together was in the top half of a house just outside of town. I worked permanent nights in a nursing home for the first year and then started working part-time at the local hospital. This hospital was an old mansion reconverted and the rooms still had the old fireplaces!

In the spring of 1973, we moved to Toronto as jobs were scarce for me and banking was not a high paying job. I was hired at Etobicoke General in August and worked there for 20 years. During that time, I taught other nurses to knit and I learned how to do counted cross-stitch, needlepoint and crocheting. James started at Bulova Watch Co where he met the "Poker Group" which lasted throughout the years and continues still.

In 1975, we bought our first house in Milton! We moved in Oct, 1975 and in Jan 1976 I found out I was pregnant with Tamara. I had undergone surgery and medication to finally have my little girl! Two years later Clay was born and our family was complete! I worked 12 hour shifts for 9 years until both children were in school as I didn't want to miss out on school events so I returned to 8 hr shifts of days and nights only.

In 1984, we moved to Brampton and in 1989, I started working part-time at the hospital, Sears and Canadian Tire as an OHN plus a walk-in-clinic! In 1990 I started taking courses for my OHN and wasucky to have Sears pay for my courses. I obtained my diploma for my OHN in 1992 and continued my education at Humber College for my Health and Safety Designation and completed that by 1994. I left Sears as they were going to be laying off all the nurses. One of the nurses started up a business and hired me as a Rehab Consultant. I had to learn new skills both in dictating reports (not writing) and driving all over Ontario to visit clients and that was before GPS! I even wrote my government exam for my COHN(C)! I have worked in several jobs after 1994 but none were as great as Sears. The comraderie, the friendships and work ethic were the best.

Throughout this busy time, James was a great support in my quest for something more! We made all our major decisions together! We were a Team! My children were growing and I felt so proud of their sense of worth and abilities which still continues to this day!

We have had good and bad times throughout our 51 years of being together but we were always each other's friend! He left me with love and friendship and is greatly missed.