Iris Victoria Elizabeth Peeples

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Iris Peeples, who on July 6, 2021 passed away peacefully in Dartmouth Nova Scotia following a long period of illness. Born in 1947 in Sydney, NS, Iris was raised in Point Tupper, NS, by Phyllis Thelma Peeples (nee Murray) and Herbert Everett Peeples. Iris is survived by her daughter, Megan Reardon; son-in-law, David Lowe; granddaughter, Everly Lowe; brothers, Byron (Sam) Peeples and Larry Peeples; sister-in-law, Cecily Peeples; nephew, Timothy Peeples, and niece, Genevieve Banks and their families. Iris married Alphonsus “Al” Reardon in 1980, and they made a life together in Dartmouth, NS, until Al passed away in 2014. Together they raised their daughter Megan, who now carries on their legacy of love, compassion, and generosity.

Iris was a dedicated public servant with Service Canada for over 30 years, where her loving personality, compassion, openness, and commitment to equity helped her make significant contributions to Atlantic Canada. She spent most of her career working for the Community Futures section supporting small business services to people living in rural communities to help them sustain their futures, and as a Consultant with The Atlantic Groundfish Strategy providing support to fishers and plant workers affected by the East coast groundfish crisis. Moreover, Iris was an advocate for gender equity and spent much of her career supporting women’s issues in the Employment Equity section. Iris was also always an advocate for the underprivileged and was very active with the PSAC Union for workers rights.

Iris was an avid reader and was known to go through several books a week. Iris also volunteered her time and donated to causes she was passionate about, including cancer research, health care, the environment, and workers rights. After retirement, with encouragement from Al, Iris joined the Dartmouth Curling Club and was a member for several years. Together they volunteered their time to renovate the curling club, as well as several friends and family homes.

Iris maintained her love and generosity to others until the very end. She spent her lifetime doing what she could to make the world a better place, always seeing the goodness in people. From birth to death, Iris brought joy and happiness to everyone she touched, and will be sorely missed by all. To help alleviate the suffering of others, Iris has generously donated her brain to the Maritime Brain Tissue Bank to further understanding of the causes of dementia.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer Society of Canada (alzheimer.ca) or to Dying with Dignity Canada (www.dyingwithdignity.ca).