April 9th, 1923 – September 22nd, 2020
Dear Mom,
It is time to say goodbye. We really don’t want you to leave, but it has to be. We hope that you felt our energy from our tears, thoughts and prayers that rose with the smoke of our burning candles to guide you as you continue your spiritual journey to your ancestral home. You ascended as you slept (not of Covid 19) in the early morning hours of the Fall Equinox on September 22nd, 2020. Ironically in 1995, your older sister Regina Thompson Pollock died and was buried on the same dates as you.
Charlotte Lauretta Thompson, you were born 97 years ago on April 9th, 1923, the fourth child of your parents Edward and Lauretta (Firth) Thompson in Dawsonville, New Brunswick. The day was so blustery that your father had to hitch up the sleigh to fetch the doctor from Matapedia to assist with your birth. You had dark eyes and through out most of your life your hair was so black that it turned purple when the sun shone on it.
You were named for your mother and your paternal grandmother, Charlotte Tennier Thompson – Royers, your paternal great-grandmother Charlotte Chatterton-Mauger and your 4 X great grandmother Charlotte Beebe- Chatterton.
You were the granddaughter of Augustus ( Red Gus) and Charlotte ( Tennier) Thompson and Thomas Firth (Senior) and his wife Eliza Mann.
You were baptized and confirmed Anglican at Saint Paul’s in Dawsonville. You grew up on your family farm in Dawsonville sharing in the farm chores with your parents and siblings. You were loved. You were happy. You were a naturally talented artist creating beautiful designs for your mother to hand hook into rugs. You were so intelligent in school that your teachers promoted you up a year. Did you possess your father’s photographic memory ???
In September, 1937 the cow jumped over the fence and ate the strong clover. The milk was too rich for your baby sister Corrine to digest and she died a month after her birth. She was the first child your mother lost. The family was heartbroken.
When your mother, Lauretta awoke on December 2nd, 1938 she didn’t think that a freak accident would take her life. She was standing in your pantry when a 100 pound bag of flour shifted. She checked it with her hip which caused her to miscarry and she subsequently bled to death. We remember you telling us that you would just finish changing one of her blood soaked socks when you had to turn around and change the other. After their burial, you were not only your siblings’ sister, but also their mother taking on all the duties of the woman who loved you all so dearly. Your parents were so very lucky to have a daughter like you who took on the difficult responsibilities of motherhood at fifteen years of age and it was a role that you maintained and cherished for the rest of your life.
On July 15th, 1940 you lost your brother Stewart in a hunting accident.
During W W II, you participated in the war effort by working in an ammunitions factory in Brownsburg, Quebec making bullets for our soldiers overseas. While there you won accolades for being the pitcher of their local baseball team.
You eloped with dad at Tide Head United Church during the evening of Sept. 2nd , 1943 waking up your young cousin Tom Thompson to be a witness along with his sister Joyce.
While dad was fighting in W.W. ll, you continued participating in the war effort by moving to Saint John, New Brunswick where you worked in a military factory sewing zippers in uniforms for our boys overseas.
After your wounded husband returned from the war, you started your home life in Flatlands, then moved to Campbellton, New Brunswick where you continued to nurture your siblings and raised your three children and lived the remainder of your life.
You were a devoted daughter of First United Church in Campbellton. You were an Explorer leader and Sunday School teacher influencing the young minds of the day. You were one of the Charter Members of the United Church Women at First United. You were the leader of the Goodwill Unit , the President of the General U.C.W. and held various positions within the U.C.W. Presbyterial. The coordinator of our church teas, Jean Miller relied on you to be the hostess of the tea room while she was in charge of the kitchen. At a time when only men were Elders, two women within First United achieved that distinction. You were one of them. You were a great advocate of the Mission and Service Fund. You were in charge of the Memorial Fund and a member of the Session. During each minister’s annual summer vacation, you gladly delivered the sermon for one of their Sundays away. For decades, you were in charge of the Chancel Committee, a position that you were dedicated to as after every Christmas Eve service you stayed alone for hours washing the tiny Communion glasses and vessels. You were a voting delegate to General Council at a conflicting time when gay rights were being decided. ( Proud of you, Mom. You voted for gay rights.) 2001 was the Year of the Volunteer and First United presented you with that distinction. You held various positions at Presbytery. One minister described you thusly, “ Charlotte, whenever I think of you, I picture you riding a black steed wielding the Sword of Justice high in the air.” That’s the way we see you too, seeking justice for friend and foe. ( By the way, if our mother had words with you, then you deserved them. )
Your father had to have the fastest horse and you had to have the fastest skis. You cross country skied until you were 79 years old with your ski buddy, Joyce Crawford and in the off season the two of you walked around the Sugarloaf Mountain for years, even before it was a fad to do so. Over the years you wore out four stationary bikes during your home exercise.
Your sense of adventure continued as you travelled to most countries around the world twice, except for China and Japan.
And what a wise mother you were………. When beggars came to our door, you fed them, teaching us to be charitable. You taught us the value of a penny and all of us are careful spenders. You taught us how to shoot a gun in case we had to hunt for food. You taught us NEVER to take away anybody’s hope, as in your eyes that was a mortal sin. Like your mother, you always read the Bible daily . You taught us YOUR way, saying that any other way was the wrong way. You were right. When we sought advice, your answer was for our betterment and never did you try to control or manipulate the situation for you or others to benefit. You loved to read and so do we. We all knew that we were going to university, before we even knew what a university was. You instructed us to think out the consequences, before we made our decisions. You drilled us to conquer the world by using CS ( Common Sense). We do. By taking us in the woods, you taught us the value of silence and now we speak less and listen more. You taught us to control our emotions in public and now we react calmly in the eye of the storm. You were mild spoken, but a fierce warrior. So are we. You often said, “ If you can’t do a perfect job, then don’t do any. “ We hold our children to the same standards. You believed that all life was precious. You once told a person, “You wouldn’t be so quick to cut down that healthy tree, if you didn’t have a chain saw.” We revere Mother Earth. Like your ancestors, you were always on the right side of history. So are we. You couldn’t swim, but you made sure that we could in case we got caught in the strong currents at the Rafting Grounds. You were a really good cook. We try. You were a talented seamstress. We can’t sew. You played the guitar. Not us !!!!!! You always slept with a box of chocolates by your bed. Ha !! We gain weight just by looking at chocolates. You made us take piano lessons and all three of us hated it. We still hate it, but we can play, but please don’t ask us !!!!!!
Your Viking ancestors invaded and settled in France and Great Britain before sailing to the New World. Ancestors include Gabriel Giraud dit Saint – Jean who settled in Caraquet @ 1710; Sieur Michel Ignace Parise who fought in the Battle of the Restigouche; Pierre Leon Roussy who was a noted shipowner, privateer and pirate of Bay of Chaleur; Richard Mauger who is a direct descendant of Rauf Mauger, uncle of William the Conqueror (Rollo); Loyalist Colonel Isaac Mann Sr. and Loyalist Mary Secord – Beebe- Pearson. Your people fought during the American Revolution and subsequently settled on the Gaspe, Quebec. During European Colonization, your family lost their Mi’kmaq identity when priests gave your indigenous ancestors new names during baptisms and marriages and subjected them to Christianity. The pain is still raw.
As you ascended, you were greeted with tears of joy from your parents and your siblings: Regina (Coleman ) Pollock, Gerald ( Louise MacArthur) Thompson, Stewart Thompson, Hardy Thompson ( buried Beny sur Mer, France), Jarvis Thompson, Alvena (Don) Zvernia, Freda (Ken) Rogers, Virginia (Adrian) Knowles, and Corinne Thompson; your husband : Leonard MacCallum and his parents John and Sarah (Malcomber) MacCallum; your brother – in- laws: Peter (Don) Donahue, Karl Firth, and Erwin Mann. All of precious memory !!!!
Tears of grief were shed by your children: Linda MacCallum ( Rev. Dr. George LeDrew), Stanley MacCallum (Fairleigh MacLean), Sheila MacCallum (Mike Anderson). Your grandchildren: John LeDrew, Matthew LeDrew, Hiadee MacCallum (Mark Stevenson), Scott MacCallum ( Mary Jane Keefe), Charlotte Anderson, Sarah Anderson, D. Alexander Thompson Anderson. Your great grandchildren: Alexandra Stevenson, Ryan Stevenson, Luke Stevenson, Georgie MacCallum, Christian MacCallum, Henry MacCallum, and William MacCallum. Your siblings: Lucille Donahue, Doris Firth, Marion (George) Elias, Luella Mann, Alexander Boudreau and sister-in-law Josephine Michaud- Thompson.
Due to Covid-19, a graveside service was held at the Dawsonville Cemetery on Friday, September 25th, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. with the Rev. Dr. George LeDrew officiating. Your nephew, Dr. David Elias was the Psalm Reader. Your grandson, Scott MacCallum shared poignant eulogy memories. Pallbearers were Scott MacCallum, Alexander Anderson, Alexandra Stevenson, Ryan Stevenson , Joe Elias and Dr. David Elias. Honourary Pallbearers in Absentia: Matthew LeDrew, John LeDrew, Charlotte Anderson , Sarah Anderson and Joyce Crawford.
You were buried in Plot 6A surrounded by the people who knew and loved you the most.
For your descendants, who may be doing genealogy research in the future, an article about you was published in the Campbellton Tribune on April 4th, 2001.
Mom, we are very sorry that our beloved Christianity stabbed you in the back by indoctrinating its constituents NOT to vote in favour of extended amendments to Bill C-14 which denied you the choice of a medical assisted death and forced you to endure years of unnecessary suffering from Alzheimer’s.
Bye, Mom……. Thank you for bringing us into your life and letting us be part of your fierce wolf pack. You were amazing. Love always…..
Your 3 children,
Linda, Stanley and Sheila
Funeral arrangements were entrusted in the care of Maher’s Funeral Home, Campbellton.
(506)789-1699 or toll free (855) 404-1699 email: [email protected]
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