Irene Elizabeth Baskwill

It is with great sadness that our family announces the passing of Irene Elizabeth Baskwill, fondly known to her close family and friends as “Grandma”. She died peacefully late Wednesday, April 4. She was 101.

Grandma was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and later immigrated to Canada with her parents, Jessie and Samuel Gillespie. She was pre-deceased by her husbands, Stuart Muckle and Geoffrey Baskwill, brother Stan Gillespie, sister-in-law Joy, and son-in-law Gary Bartlett. She is survived by her children, Beverley Bartlett (Gary), Stephen Baskwill (Jane), and Debbie Stewart (Rick).

Family came first with Grandma and she often spent time watching her grandchildren play sports. She also enjoyed watching sports on television and there was hardly a day that she would miss Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. She loved watching Jessica Fletcher solve murder mysteries and kept her mind sharp by doing crosswords, playing bridge with close friends in her earlier years, and Scrabble competitions with Debbie.

As a young woman, Grandma was active in the Kinettes and served as president in the Moose Jaw Branch. The death of her first husband, Stuart, an RAF pilot, came only six weeks after they were married. She soon enlisted in the RAF herself and was posted to Caron, Saskatchewan, where she met her second husband, Geoffrey. After Geoffrey was posted to England, Grandma followed and Beverley was born in Leeds not long after. Later, the three of them returned to Canada, where Stephen and Debbie were born. The family eventually settled in Halifax. Grandma worked with Sears Canada for 10 years, retiring in 1981 and soon turning her attention to her grandchildren.

Grandma was a fighter throughout her life dealing with a number of illnesses and accidents. In 1986, she was given a short time to live after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She beat the odds and fully recovered in 1988. For the next 30 years, she lived with Debbie and Rick, helping to raise their three children. After an unfortunate fall and complications from pneumonia, Grandma decided it was her time to go. She passed away peacefully at the Dartmouth General Hospital with family at her side.

Grandma loved her family and there were many of them to love. She had nine grandchildren, Andrea, Andrew, Geoff, Amanda, Nick, Amanda-Lynn, Jennifer, Jason, and Richard, 13 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.

Grandma was cremated and will be celebrated at a private gathering for close family and friends. She always wanted to ride in a hot air balloon, so to honour her wish, her ashes will be scattered from above in the months to come.

The family would like to thank the staff at 3-East DGH for their attentive care.

Donations in Grandma’s honour can be made to Feed Nova Scotia, one of her favourite charities.

To say Grandma will be missed does not adequately express the hole she leaves in our lives. We are fortunate to have shared many wonderful times with her over the years and each of us will have special moments that we will remember her by. We love you Grandma and may you now rest in peace.