Obituary of Elmer Thomas Scanlan

SCANLAN, Elmer Thomas, Arichat/ Whiteside It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Elmer Thomas Scanlan of Whiteside which occurred at his residence at the St. Anne’s Community & Nursing Care Center in Arichat on March 19, 2024, with his loving family by his side. Born on May 20, 1934, he was the son of the late Joseph Edward Sr. and Mary Louise (Poirier) Scanlan of Walkerville, Richmond County. Elmer spent his childhood and his adolescent's growing up in Walkerville. Elmer started his working career at the ripe early age of 16 where he was building commercial wharfs with a local contractor. He then went to work at the steel plant in Sydney. In 1954 Elmer attended St. Francis Xavier University, extension department, to learn the intricacies involved in the setup and operations of the CO-OP and Credit Union movements. In 1955, Elmer worked for J.P. Porter, out of Dartmouth Nova Scotia, dredging in various locations around Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. While working with J.P. Porters, in 1957, dredging in Petit De Grat, Nova Scotia, he met the love of his life Delima. Delima and Elmer were married and soon started working on a family, first came twins, Karen and Sharon. A year later Shelly arrived. The first son, Darrell, arrived a year after that then finally, 5 years later, the last one, a son named Dale. Delima and Elmer moved a short distance to Whiteside, where they built their family home where Delima still resides today. Elmer’s working career would take one more turn when he left J.P. Porters to go work for the Pulp and Paper Mill in Point Tupper. He started at the mill as a millwright, in 1961, then worked his way up to Maintenance Supervisor where he remained until he retired in 1992. Elmer was very involved in the community and served in various capacities throughout his lifetime. He served as the director and president of the Riverdale Credit Union. He served on the St. Francis De Sales parish council while being active in the lay ministry as a reader and a Eucharistic Minister. He served as a volunteer at the canteen at the Strait Richmond Hospital and was a member of the Legion Branch 47 in Grand Anse where he served in various roles. All the while if there was a water pump, washer, or dryer that needed to be fixed or someone in the community needed a hand, he would be right there to accommodate. Elmer was outgoing, with a love of life, playing his guitar, listening to country music, dancing and mercilessly teasing his grandchildren while enjoying a little nip of Captain Morgan or some red Wine. Elmer will be sadly missed by his wife and family and all those whom he has touched throughout his lifetime. Elmer is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Delima (Boudreau) Scanlan. Daughters; Karen (Rodney) Burke, Sharon (Peter) Burke, both of Whiteside, and Shelly (Henry) Smeenk of Kingsville. Sons; Darrell (Sandra) Scanlan of Whiteside and Dale (Kim) Scanlan of Walkerville. Grand Children; Natalie (T.J), Ashley, Jillian (Simon), Kelsee, Ryan, Krystal (Justin), Kalem (Kristen), Caitlin, Catisha, Christopher (Tracy), Alicia (Ronald), Ian (Susanne), Allana, Makayla (Nick), Maddy (Nick). great-grandchildren; Tori, Chase, Gabriel, Nolan, John-William, Emma, Alex, Penney, Jack, Reese, Sawyer, Lincoln, Rory, Bella, Luca; his sister Sheila Scanlan, Port Hawkesbury, sister-in-law Carmel Scanlan, Whiteside and his brother-in-law Hughie MacDonnell, Louisdale. Besides his parents, Elmer was predeceased by his brother Joseph Junior and his sister Phyllis. Visitation is to be held on Friday, March 22, 2024, from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm at the C.H. Boudreau Funeral Home in Arichat. The funeral service will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 1:30 pm at St Francis De Sales Parish, Lower River. Lunch will be served at the Lower River Community Center immediately following the service. Interment will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations could be made to the following organizations: St. Anne’s Community and Nursing Care Center, St. Patrick’s Cemetery Fund, or a charity of choice. We, Elmer's family, would like to take this opportunity to thank the nurses, doctors, staff, and residents of the St Annes Community and Nursing Center for the professionalism, kindness, and compassion that was shown to Elmer while he was a resident and a big thank you to all who aided in his final journey. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to C.H. Boudreau Funeral Home Ltd., Arichat. Tributes, words of comfort, and memories may be shared with Elmer’s family at www.chboudreau.com.