Margaret Manuel

(Ann) Margaret (Batten) Manuel - Age 76, passed away peacefully May 2, 2015 at Parkstone Long Term Care in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with two of her children by her side. Born in Newport, Wales, the eldest of four children, Margaret was the daughter of the late (Thomas) Reginald Batten and Mabel (Fulton) Batten. She is survived by her six children John, Stephen, Douglas, Martha Lauri, Charles and Caroline, and seven grandchildren, Dillon Ferro, Koji Sugawara-Manuel, Caplan and Toby Barker, Vincent and Elisabeth Manuel and Alma Grace Hille. She has three brothers, John (deceased), Richard and James who live in England. Margaret’s early life was marked by adventure. She was evacuated from London as a young child in World War II. After an unpleasant, but short stay in a boarding school, her beloved Grandma Fulton collected her and whisked her away to Wales, where she lived in a house overflowing with relatives. After completing her undergraduate degree she declined a graduate studies admission to Oxford University, instead choosing to move to Africa with her then boyfriend, Russell Manuel. Together they sailed on a steamer- Margaret below deck and Russell above with the officers. Margaret and Russ were married in 1960 and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro for their honeymoon. Margaret was first and foremost a mother. Her eldest son, John, was born in Tanzania followed by the next four children all born in different parts of Canada, with her youngest daughter born in Jamaica. The family finally moved back to Canada and settled in Halifax where Margaret lived for the rest of her life. Margaret had an insatiable curiosity. A voracious reader with a dictionary-like vocabulary, she would usually have two or three books on the go. She was defined by her love of music ranging from reggae to choral to opera to organ to the Beatles and John Denver - tunes were always playing at her house. Never one to sit still, she was an incredible athlete. Margaret could be found playing tennis at the Waegwoltic, was a provincial squash champion, and loved swimming at William's Lake, she even took up belly-dancing, Tai Chi and bowling in her 50’s and 60's. Her volunteer work focused on the elderly - delivering food for Meals on Wheels and time spent with the "ladies" at Victoria Hall in addition to many different seniors for whom she always found time. Her community building included agitation at City Hall and within the School Board. She successfully lobbied for girls to take industrial arts and boys home economics and was rewarded by better meals in her own home. Share memories, condolences and photos at: www.facebook.com/groups/1444024242562531/

Memorial to be held at King’s College Chapel http://kingschapel.ca/, Friday May 8th at 1:30pm with a reception to follow at the Waegwoltic Club Multipurpose Room. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Shelter NS or Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.