Obituary of Jane Edith Samson

It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved mother, Jane Edith Samson, at home on December 1, 2025 at the age of 93. Born in Arichat on November 19, 1932, she was the daughter of the late Alcide and Eva (Richard) Marchand. She was predeceased by her loving husband, Raymond in 2013. She is survived by her children: Joan, Petit de Grat; Gary (Marcia), Allan (Mary Lou), both of Bridgewater; Kenneth (Hattie), Arichat; Dora (Colin Chisholm) Lr. Sackville; Connie (Laurie Conrad) Bedford. Grandchildren: Kalyn (James Tilley), Kyle (Leah) Samson, Jesse Samson, Adèle (Jamie) Veinotte, Zoé (James) Watkins, Kendra (Paul) Lang, Cheryl Chisholm (Luke Davies), Broady Samson (Megan Laing). Great-Grandchildren: Aiden, Owen, Beatrice, Anna, Évangéline, Maren, Isidore, Evelynn, and three others due to arrive in early 2026. She is survived by her siblings: Vénère (late Patsy) Marchand, Louisdale, Etta (Mark) Boudreau, Port Hawkesbury and Bernard (Diane) Marchand, Ontario. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Claire Marchand, brother-in-law Allister Jollymore, as well as many, many nieces & nephews. She was predeceased by her siblings: Eva Boudreau (Fulbert), Joseph Velma Marchand (Verna), Agnes DeCoste (Bernie), Clarisse David (Dominic), Alfred Marchand, Lorraine Richard (Simon), Arthur Marchand, Lucille Landry (Cyril), Delia Samson (Alzear), Francine Jollymore, Alderic & Francis Marchand (in Infancy). Her in-laws: Idella (Stanley) Samson, Kathleen (Ralph) Roberts, George (Élise) Samson & Clarisse Samson. Our mother was one tough lady!! The daughter of a blacksmith and as close to the middle of sixteen children as one can be. Mom could stretch a dollar beyond your wildest imagination; and she got lots of practice because dollars were hard to come by. She grew up with little but she leaves a legacy of stewardship that would humble the proudest heart. She saved buttons, zippers and little balls of yarn that repaired many of our favourite items. We have coveralls, socks, jeans and countless other treasures that she repaired over the years. Not only us, but others in the community benefited from her joy of salvaging things instead of them being thrown into the trash. Though most of us would draw the line at cutting buttons off of old shirts, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and some or all of us probably have a few too many pieces of wood, balls of yarn, or some other collectibles that might be useful some day. No names will be divulged. Sweets were never in short supply in our house. Whether it be pies, cookies, cinnamon rolls, or homemade chocolate pudding, we always had treats to look forward to after school, and we looked forward to homemade donuts at Christmas time. That said, one of us was always trying to outwit his siblings to get more than his fair share. He shall remain nameless but his first initial is at one end of the alphabet. Mom was very hospitable. In spite of her tiny house, she often had people over visiting. No one walked out hungry, unless by choice, because she always insisted that you should have a cup of tea, and her freezer always had buns, biscuits, cookies or other treats. She was a faithful member of the CWL and worked hard to help out catering and baking for weddings. As kids, we would watch through the oven window and maybe jump around the stove a little, hoping to make the squares and cakes flop, because then they weren’t good enough for the hall, so we’d get to eat them. Many trimmed edges of squares were gratefully consumed by the six of us. She was the most content person you would ever meet and she’s always been amazing. As kids, with Dad away for extended periods on the draggers, she would pull out the old wringer washer to do the laundry. We had no running water for many years. She would haul up buckets of water from the hand-dug well and heat it up on the stove. She had all kinds of patience for our desire to pitch our tents with old blankets, right about when it was time to put the clothes through the wringer. Wow … motherhood in those days.!! With eight of us in a house under six hundred square feet at the time, I remember her taking in Uncle Arthur for a little while when he fell on hard times. She had a big heart, and was one of the strongest people we’ve known. She got her drivers’ license at the age of 58 and shocked us all … she had always been the most nervous back seat driver of all time. That was such a wonderful decision, because it gave her an independence she had never known. She loved playing bingo and spent many, many nights with her many similarly-minded sisters at the local halls. She played 9 cards into her 92nd year. She loved to play rummy and 45 and won prizes multiple times at the card play at the New Horizons Seniors Club in Arichat. We have many memories of playing with her at home and in hospital to pass the time, and of her mischievous cackle when she got the card she was waiting for. She loved to see people. When Dad was in the nursing home she visited him every day, and helped out everyone else in the room who needed help when she was there. Hundreds of socks that she made are being worn across Canada by people who have never met her. And likely well over a thousand, if not multiple thousands, of newborn babies have gone home from hospitals across Nova Scotia wearing a hat that she proudly and lovingly knit for them. Some might be wise to take a page out of her money management book. She never had a credit card, and she passed on her aversion to debt. She always chuckled in recent years when scammers would call about a problem with her credit card. Mom so enjoyed her grandchildren and then her great grandchildren. Technology brought Mom more interaction with family. FaceTime and photo apps brought her great joy and wonder at the blessings that her great grandchildren were. We loved to tell her stories of the particularly funny things that they did or said. We can still hear her laugh at some of their truly wonderful and hilarious moments. She thought she’d never been able to give us much because they never had much money, but she gave us more than she ever realized. She couldn’t always give us “the fish”, but she certainly taught us all “how to fish”. She worked tirelessly and had more than her fair share of struggles along the way. We didn’t have much in the way of material wealth, but we learned that it’s not what you have, but what you do with what you have. She made the best of her God-given talents, and lived the best life she could, recognizing her need for God’s help. We all learned to work hard, and we couldn’t be more proud of her! It’s been said that all we take with us when we leave this world is the good we did for others. She took a lot with her! She worried about everything. That said, there were few nights that she went to bed without praying the rosary. She was faithful to the end, watching Mass for Shut-Ins when she couldn’t go in person. When she could go to church, she insisted on kneeling at church as best she could. I remember someone talking to me in recent years about how she put him to shame by kneeling at her age. She walked on the road every day, as long as she was able. She talked a lot in the last few weeks about how fortunate she’d been to have had such a short period of ill health. Her concern for others above herself always amazed us. She was fiercely independent, yet she graciously accepted her lot as her health started to fail. We’re pleased, and grateful to our sister Joan, that we were able to care for her at home where she always wanted to be. Mom never took credit for much, but we can’t see how anyone could have done any more with what they were given than our mother. She was one of our greatest examples of strength that can only come from God. His hand has so clearly been shown in the last two years of Mom’s life. She spent a total of about seven months of the last twenty two, in various hospitals. There were multiple instances of health care workers amazed by her. We never know how God can use apparent defeat to touch the lives of others. In our fractured and challenging health care system, we are so grateful for those people in it who are truly called, and dedicated, to the compassionate care of the elderly. You are shining lights in a dark world, so don’t lose hope … you really are making a difference. Thank you for everything you did for us Mom. What the Lord gives, the world can’t take away. May you rest in the peace of Christ! You will live forever in our hearts … Well done! Thanks to all the doctors, nurses and staff at St. Martha’s in Antigonish, St. Mary’s in Sherbrooke, The Aberdeen and The Strait Richmond hospitals who did their best to help Mom in the last two years. To Dr. Lisa Gillis and the Palliative Care nurses who provided kind and compassionate care and helped us keep Mom at home, the Continuing Care nurses and the VON Home Support workers who provided daily and respite care, we’re so very grateful for all you’ve done! Visitation will be held in C. H. Boudreau Funeral Home in Arichat on Monday, December 8th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph’s Church, Petit de Grat, on Tuesday, December 9th at 11:00 am with Father Duaine Devereaux officiating. Burial will take place in Star of the Sea Cemetery in Petit de Grat. Reception to follow at St. Joseph’s Parish Hall. Memorial donations can be made to the Strait Richmond Palliative Care Society or St. Joseph’s Cemetery Fund. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to C.H. Boudreau Funeral Home Ltd., in Arichat