Obituary of Nancy Marietta Howie

Born August 18, 1930 in Saint John, NB, to the late Hardy and Elizabeth Goulding, died December 18, 2021 at home, peacefully surrounded by family. Nancy was married to the late Honourable J Robert Howie QC PC and was considered to be his best source of advice and support. They met on the train between Saint John and Fredericton. Nancy had just worked a night shift at the Victoria Public Hospital and after much convincing, agreed to go on a date with Bob, who was attending Law School in Saint John. Nancy is survived by children Cindy, Marlene, Jamie (Joy) and Mary Jane (Vergil); grandchildren Josh, Wesley (Justine), Kristine, Robert (Trish), Adam (Tyler), Jacqueline and Riley and great grandchildren Jaxon (and his mom Sam), Jayde, Emmerson and Zoey; nephews Howie Johnson and Brad Johnson and cousins Sandra Nelson and Johnny Buckley. In addition to her parents and her beloved husband of 63 years, Nancy was predeceased by her dear sister-in-law Helen (Howie) Johnson and her husband Bob Johnson and her beloved cat Billy. Nancy, affectionately nicknamed "Gouldie" by her peers, was proud of her nursing background and upon graduation from the VPH was chosen to deliver the valedictory speech to her graduating class. She received many nursing awards including: the HS Wright Prize, the Alumni Prize, and the General Proficiency in Nursing Prize. She worked during her early career for Dr. Ross Wright, EENT and when their family was grown she returned to work on the maternity unit at the DECH. Other career highlights included a term at the Children's Memorial Hospital in Montreal and nursing during the polio epidemic. She treated her patients with respect and supported them on a path to health with her special sense of humor and her kind and gentle spirit. Nancy also lived in Ottawa where she was on the executive of the Parliamentary Ladies Association and the secretary to the Former Parliamentary Wives Association. She enjoyed travelling with Bob to Miami Beach in winter and Prince Edward Island in summer. She also enjoyed family time at Grand Lake; often swimming with Bob and her grandchildren. She and Bob took trips to Switzerland, the Philippines, France and Italy. Nancy, along with her husband, attended Saint Andrew's Presbyterian Church and she started the first coffee hour following church. While Bob was Clerk of Session at Saint Andrew’s, Nancy was the one behind the scenes helping him with his role. Church was very important to Nancy. She rarely missed a service and encouraged her children to attend regularly. Read’s, and later Coffee and Friends, were favourite hangouts of Nancy’s, where she enjoyed socializing with family and friends. Nancy canvassed for causes such as the Salvation Army. Later in life she took a real estate course. Nancy was a member of the Kinettes, and many meetings were held at her home. Nancy and Bob were a love story like no other and nothing was more important to her than family. Many thanks go to her physician and long-time friend, Dr. Robert Prosser, for his support, friendship and kindness over the years. A Funeral Service will take place Wednesday, December 22nd at 1:00 pm at Saint Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 512 Charlotte Street, Fredericton. Due to current provincial regulations, proof of vaccination and government issued identification will be required for entry to the service. For those unable to attend in person a live stream of the service will be available at the following link: https://vimeo.com/658970671 . In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fredericton Homeless Shelters or directly to an individual in need, as Nancy has done on many occasions.