Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Like my family and Fredericton, Auntie Carolyn has a played a big role in my life with many memories that have had lasting effects. It's impossible for me to think about these without tearing up and feeling grateful for everything that she shared with me, my parents and sister, my wife and children, and throughout our bigger Stewart and Meehan family.
Her abilities in many crafts are well known and appreciated by many. The taste and joy of her baking, especially her coconut cream pies (the lemon meringue was also good!), remains special to me. Suzanne and our children remember her cross-stitch, quilts, and especially the Christmas stockings that we enjoy each and every year. She shared her love through these crafts but also in her presence. She was always there at the airport when my family and I would arrive for our many trips to Fredericton. The many family Christmas dinners at her place are much of what Christmas was for my childhood. These are all sweet memories.
Looking back, these touch points in our families' lives seem to have been the foundation for her community support through her activities in church, military and serving families, and Skate Canada. Her connection to Fredericton was deep, and this despite having travelled and lived throughout the world. Through these "smaller" touches, she lived a big life and had a large impact on many.
These activities would be a full life for anyone, something everyone would look back on with joy, but her biggest impact was through her strength of character. Seemingly unflappable, endlessly practical, and able to take on any challenge big or small, I can't think of any time that Auntie Carolyn didn't know what to do, how to do it, and how to take it on in a way that we can all learn from. She was then, is, and remains someone that everyone looked up to.
Even though her mark has always been there, and always impacted me personally, it's taken her passing for me to fully realize how many she touched. Perhaps the loss and the missing we are all feeling from her moving on makes it easier to see how we are left with the strength and lessons she has passed on.
My heart goes out to everyone, especially close family members, that are missing her now. I hope that the lasting impact of her life, both big and small, helps this heal in time. Between now and then, love those around you in the way that she set as an example.
Matthew Bourque and family; Suzanne, Jean-Pierre, Céleste, Alexandre, and Arielle
