Obituary of Sandra Houston

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Sandra Houston, aged 82, on October 4, 2025, in her home.

A loving mother, wife, and sister, Sandra was predeceased by her younger daughter, Jennifer Linton Ainger in 2019 and her loving husband, Gilbert Allardyce in May, 2025. She is survived by her first husband, Colan Linton of Fredericton; elder daughter, Nicola Linton of Vancouver; sister, Jacqueline Houston of Toronto; nephew, Eir Houston of Toronto, and her two wonderful and much loved grandchildren, Gemma Linton (daughter of Nicola) of Vancouver and Charlie Ainger (son of Jennifer Linton Ainger and Neil Ainger) of London, England.

Sandra was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1943 to parents Frederick and Doris Houston (nee Weinrib). The family moved to England in 1950 where her father, a psychiatrist, found work. At one stage the whole family lived on the grounds of a psychiatric hospital in Cambridge where Sandra’s father was working. Sandra liked to say she was raised in a mental hospital and cared for by the patients.

Sandra’s family emigrated to Canada in 1957, where they initially settled in Saint John, New Brunswick. Sandra graduated from Saint John High School in 1960 at the age of 17, having skipped a grade upon emigrating from England. She then earned an entrance scholarship to Dalhousie University in Halifax, graduating in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

After graduation, Sandra moved to England to be with her childhood friend and soon-to-be husband, Colan, whom she married in her birthplace of Dublin in July 1964. She and Colan moved in 1966 for Colan’s job at the newly minted York University in Toronto, where her daughter Nicola was born, and then in 1969 for Colan’s job as physics professor at UNB in Fredericton, where her daughter Jennifer was born. This was a happy move for Sandra who loved Fredericton and lived there for the remaining 56 years of her life. In the early years, Sandra was a housewife and devoted mother to her two children. Once both children were in school, Sandra found part time work as a door-to-door encyclopedia salesperson. She was very successful at this job, as evidenced by the many sets of encyclopedias around the house, received as prizes for her high sales figures. She then took a part time job as a book keeper at the Towne Shoppe and related stores which she thoroughly enjoyed, and where she continued working into her early 70’s. Although never religious, she was an active member of the Fredericton Jewish community in the 1970’s and 80’s while her children were young and was always proud of her Jewish heritage.

Sandra married her second husband Gilbert Allardyce in 1989 and they were happily married for the next 36 years until his death in 2025.

Sandra will always be remembered with love as a tiny lady with a big personality, giant smile, and slightly offbeat sense of humour which she cultivated early and had her whole life. I will end with a fitting quote from the write up in Sandra’s high school yearbook: “If you hear ‘you’re crazy’ in Room 27, you’ll know Sandra is around.” RIP Sandra, Mom, Grandma, Sister, Aunt, Friend - you will be missed!

A celebration of life will be held at a later date; information will be listed as it becomes available. For those who wish, memorial donations may be made to the MS Society of Canada.