Bernice Grace Brown

BROWN, Bernice Grace (Hartlin) – 95, of Halifax, died peacefully on Thursday, May 19, 2016. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on February 27, 1921, she was the eldest daughter of the late George Philip Hartlin and Charlotte Alice Elizabeth (Sheppard) Hartlin.

Bernice loved her family, her faith and her friends, music, swimming, dancing and skating with Clark, bowling, road trips, canoeing and camping, knitting and crocheting, afternoon naps, mayflowers, gardening, writing and receiving letters. She always remembered your birthday or anniversary with a card or phone call. She made the best fudge and pumpkin pies, was the originator of extreme couponing, and was decades ahead of anyone else when it came to composting and recycling.

Prior to and during the early years of her marriage to Clark she worked for The General Trust Company (Canada Permanent) and later part time for the Dominion Bureau of Statistics. In 1959, she and Clark moved their family to Spryfield, and she became an active member of the community. She was involved with the Leiblin Park Guild, with her church as a choir member and as a member and President of the Catholic Women’s League of St. Michael’s, and volunteered as a neighbourhood canvasser for many charitable organizations.

She is survived by her sons, Clark (Mary Anne MacNeil), Doug (Janice Eisner), Terry (LaRita Zwicker), her daughter, Elizabeth (Fred Fountain), her grandchildren, Erin Brown (Mark Parsons), Luke Brown, Matthew Brown, Ashley Brown, Katharine Fountain, her great-grandchildren, Ashlyn, Rylan and Breton Parsons, her sister, Dorothy Wright, and many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her loving husband of 68 years, Clark Brown, her sisters, Phyllis Holley and Barbara Small and by her grandson, Alex Fountain.

We were so privileged to have had her as our mother and grandmother. She was always willing to drop whatever she was doing to spend time with us and was very interested and engaged in our lives. She knew the value of good health, exercise and the great outdoors. She had a soft heart, a willing smile, and maintained her youthful spirit throughout her life.

Should you wish to make a donation in Bernice’s memory, please consider the QEII Health Sciences Centre Foundation or Souls Harbour Rescue Mission or the charity of your choice.

Visitation will be held at J. A. Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, Halifax, on Tuesday, May 24 from 6-8 pm.

A celebration of Bernice’s life will be held in St. Michael’s Church, 14 St. Michael’s Avenue, Spryfield, on Wednesday, May 25, at 11 am.