Obituary of Marjorie Olive Donovan

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our Mother, Marjorie Olive (Stone) Donovan.   Marjorie (Marg) was born in Devon, New Brunswick, July 29,1935 and was the daughter of the late Cyril Stone and Ruby (Ackerman) Stone. Mom was pre-deceased by the love of her life, Arnold (Arnie) Donovan, after 61 wonderful years of marriage.  They resided in Saint John and in later years, Quispamsis, New Brunswick. Mom was also pre-deceased by her brother James (Jim) Stone of Campbellton and her sisters May Sullivan and Janice Phillips, of Fredericton, New Brunswick.  

Mom is survived by her four children: Nancy (Tom Creamer) Quispamsis, Susan (Rick MacMichael) Quispamsis, David (Petrina Melski) Quispamsis, and Wendell, of Saint John.

Mom was a very proud and loving Grandmother (Nana) of her five grandsons Scott (Heather McFarlane), Corey (Heather Woodland), James (Gillian Goodwin), David, and Matthew (Ashley Daley). She adored her two granddaughters Mackenzie and Adrijana, and her ten great grandchildren: Avery, Miley, Rhys, Logan, Lydia, Reid, Audrey, Caroline, Grey and Crew. She cherished her special time with all of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and was so proud of their accomplishments. 

Mom is also survived by sisters Brenda, Carla, Betty, and brothers Greg, David, and Billy Stone, her Sisters-in law Alice Johnson (Quispamsis), Barbara Boucher (Saint John), Lauren Bouchard (Fredericton), and Marcelle Stone(Moncton), as well as several nieces and nephews. Mom was very close to her cousins Valerie (Mike Drury) Fredericton, Ken Kilfillen (Doris) Chipman, and Gordon Kilfillen (Norma) Chipman, all of whom she loved very much. 

Mom was an extraordinarily talented, capable, strong and fashionable woman.  In the early years Mom worked at the New Brunswick Telephone Company, and Ocean Steel, until she and Dad started their family.  Mom made the decision in the early years of their marriage to remain a stay at home Mother, take care of her husband and manage the household, all of which she did incredibly well. In addition Mom was Dad’s business partner for many years as they owned and operated the Credit Bureau of Saint John (1973) Ltd. until their retirement in the early 1990’s. 

Some of Mom’s many talents included knitting, sewing, and quilting.  Over the years she crafted many beautiful items, including some very special quilts for her family. 

Mom and Dad loved their day trips to the Moncton Casino, where Mom enjoyed playing Texas Holdem.  She was an avid card player; some would say, a real card shark. Mom was always ready for a high stakes game of Cribbage and came out the winner more times than not. She also loved the game of Bingo.  Years ago, Mom attended regular Bingo games at the former St. Peters Church where she would easily play up to 50 Bingo cards at a time. A life skill, she once said. 

Over the years her family, friends and neighbours regularly dropped in, always to discover something yummy cooking on the stove or in the oven.  Mom loved to bake, seemingly effortlessly, on a regular basis and it was not unusual to find several dozen cookies, a few pies, banana and lemon breads, and muffins all lined up on the counter. 

Mom looked forward every year to making her annual seasonal preserves, which included a wide variety of jams, jellies and pickles. She always insisted the berries had to be picked fresh and by hand, which she and Dad did for many years.  It gave Mom great joy to give many bottles of her preserves to family and friends and there was always an extra stash in the cold room, should anyone run out.  

 Some of Mom’s most cherished times were summers spent at Green Acres Trailer Park on Grand Lake with her family and friends. For many years she and Dad were active members of the Thomist’s Dance Club, always enjoying music from the big band era. Mom became infamously know as “The Candy Lady” during a few family summers spent on Lake Digidiguash.  She always made sure there were lots of wonderful treats for everyone.  Mom and Dad looked forward to their many trips to Florida over the years, as well as the Cruises they took to many parts of the world. Mom was an active member of TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) for a number of years, where she frequently spoke to the membership on healthy eating habits and weight loss.

In recent years, Mom was a resident at Parkland In The Valley, Quispamsis, where she enjoyed the company of her new neighbors, friends and staff.

Our family would like to express our sincere thanks to Dr. Robert Poirier, as well the Staff at Shannex, who gave Mom such warm and compassionate care. Resting at Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John where visitation will be held on Thursday October 5, 2023 from 2:00pm - 7:00pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday October 6, 2023 at 11:00am at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Rothesay, NB.  Interment will take place at St. Joseph’s Cemetery following the Mass and reception at the church. For those who wish, remembrances would be welcome at the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation.