A celebration of life will be held Sunday, March 14/21 @ 2pm at Snow’s Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, Halifax, NS. With covid precautions in place, family and friends are welcome to gather at Snow’s or join by video link https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/25740
Muriel was born in Reserve Mines, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; married her first love Angus Shepard and raised her family of 3 children in Toronto, Ontario. In 1996 she married her second love, Arthur Pettit and moved with him to Cloverdale BC, where they lived until his passing in 2018. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were blessed to have her move back to Nova Scotia in 2018 where she lived with daughter Carol and family and blessed them with her love, kindness, humility and joy of simple pleasures, until her recent passing.
She was predeceased by parents James Alexander MacLeod and Edith Layte MacDonald MacLeod, husbands Angus Archibald Shepard (1968) and Arthur Pettit (2018); siblings Mildred Eileen MacLeod Apblett, Mary Edith MacLeod and Daniel James ‘Donnie’ MacLeod.
She is survived by her children Carol Shepard Conrad (Greg Conrad), Wayne Shepard, Charles ‘David’ Shepard, grandchildren Lisa (Tom), Kyle (Katelynn), Robyn, James (Meagan), Brandon, Amanda and Ashleigh; great grandchildren Fiona, Dax, Xavier, Livie, Skylar, Campton, Chanell, Autumn, Bryson, Caileigh, Owen and Julia; as well as stepchildren Fury, Sunita and Glenn.
Muriel revelled in memories of her early years in Dominion, Cape Breton and was passionate about family history. From an early age her favourite hobby was picking blueberries with her sisters and brother at the Brook Hill and in the woods at the Reservoir to bring home to their grandmother, Laurah Elizabeth Boutilier MacLeod, on Mitchell Avenue, where she would make her delicious blueberry pies. Her grandfather James Alexander MacLeod, descended from the Isle of Skye, Scotland, inspired her lifelong love of music. He introduced her to his favourite semi classical singers, who eventually became hers e.g. Vincent Herbert, Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddie and Maria Callas. Her mother played piano and harp and thus began Muriel’s love of playing piano. When she was approximately 5 years old, she remembered taking tap and highland dancing, with sister Mary, and had a fond memory of singing a duet with sister Eileen at the Marion Bridge United Church.
After she finished her elementary and high school studies in Dominion, she ventured to Ontario where she started her work experience in accounting. She took one year at University of Toronto in the Registered Industrial Accounting course and was well satisfied that she could do it but chose to leave to juggle the many demands of working and being a young widow and mother. After marrying Angus, she enjoyed the many years of family time with friends and raised her children by setting an example of displaying manners and respect for all and teaching them to understand that when times are challenging and resources are scarce, you can just change things around and move forward with a new perspective. Many fond Ontario memories revolve around summer camping trips with brother Donnie and famliy, searching for four leaf clovers in the yard of her home in Alderwood and dancing at the Palais Royale in Toronto. After a career working at Stelco (Steel Company of Canada) she eventually married her Arthur in 1986 and in 1993 and moved with him to Cloverdale, BC where, for 25 years, they enjoyed a special companionship and shared their love of music, dance and song. Muriel especially loved singing in a number of senior’s club choirs, notably the Sunrise Singers.
Her final two years were spent in Halifax, NS. She loved her visit in 2019 to Ontario to visit her grandson James and his family, niece Diane and many relatives and special friend Helen. She was open to all the experiences of the trip, including the CNE, Niagara Falls. She took her life full circle and enjoyed a road trip to Cape Breton with Wayne, David and Carol, showing them her favourite and memorable family places and visiting her sister Eileen’s family. Her great joy was the time she spent with sister Mary, enjoying hours of their time reminiscing and playing Chinese Checkers.
The family especially thanks Dr. Andrew Cumming, her GP, and the nursing staff and doctors on 8.4 Halifax Infirmary for their compassion and care.
Once travel is possible, at a date yet to be determined, her wish is to be laid to rest with her first husband, Angus, at Glendale Memorial Gardens, Rexdale, Ontario.
As in Josh Grobin’s song, her children fondly remember her…. May she rest in peace.
‘You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains,
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas,
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders,
You raise me up to more than I can be’
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