Departed Allisonians Fall 2019
Please feel welcome to submit memories of departed Allisonians you have known and loved.
John S. Hart 鈥 1938
Rowena (Neal) Watson 鈥 1940
Molly T. (Simmons) Critchley 鈥 1948
Grace E. (Thomson) Ferguson 鈥 1948
Doreen E. (Murray) Fraser 鈥 1951
Inez J. (Caverhill) French 鈥 1951
Shirley A. (Flemington) Tait 鈥 1951
Mary E. Rand Tracy 鈥 1951
Elizabeth (Newell) Hall 鈥 1953
Gordon H. McConnell 鈥 1953
Joyce E. (Wright) Murray 鈥 1954
Frank W. Lockhart 鈥 1955
Graeme H. King 鈥 1960
Carol E. F. (Thompson) Gibson 鈥 1961
G. Wylie McMullen 鈥 1968
Carl D. Ash 鈥 1971
Darcy Neal-Croteau 鈥 1980
James Mancuso 鈥 1984
Timothy D. Atkinson 鈥 1987
Ker S. Wells 鈥 1985
Dan C. Patridge 鈥 Former faculty
Tamra Farrow 鈥 Former staff
Ross B. Eddy 鈥 Former Board of Regents
DARCY ELIZABETH NEAL-CROTEAU (鈥80)
Submitted by her husband Sylvain Croteau
Darcy Elizabeth Neal-Croteau (鈥80) and MA (Universit茅 de Sherbrooke, 1982), died June 5, 2019 after a courageous battle with cancer. Her family was with her: husband Sylvain Croteau; daughter Myriam Croteau Divert of Skellefte氓, Sweden; son Sym茅on Croteau and his wife Ariane St-Laurent of Gatineau, QC; and daughter Rachel Croteau of Gatineau, QC. Her life was celebrated at her church (Assembl茅e Chr茅tienne Bonne Nouvelle) in Quebec City and again at the Church of the Redeemer, Rosseau, ON. Interment of her ashes was at The Old English Cemetery near Rosseau. Throughout her illness, Darcy kept a blog called Body, Mind and Spirit: A Cancer Journey, which can be viewed at . Darcy was the daughter of Sarah Ditchburn Neal and Frederick Jefferson Neal (鈥51).
JOHN STEWART HART (鈥38)
Submitted by University Archivist David Mawhinney
On Sept. 18, 2016 a Royal Canadian Air Force flypast marked the 100th birthday of John Stewart Hart, the last known Canadian pilot of the Battle of Britain. He died June 18, 2019 at his home in British Columbia. Hart was born in Sackville, NB on Sept. 11, 1916, the son of local dentist Edward Hart and his second wife, Sarah Stewart, who taught wood carving and leather tooling at Mount Allison. Jairus Hart, the benefactor of Hart Hall, was a distant relative. John studied at the Mount Allison Academy beginning in 1931 and in 1936 entered 痳豆TV视频. He did not complete his degree, instead earning his pilot鈥檚 licence from the Halifax Flying Club in 1938. Later that year he went to England and joined the Royal Air Force, eventually serving in Europe, India, and Burma. He was married twice: Joan Kenneth (1916-1977) and Bette Curren (鈥39) (1917-2013). His passing marks the end of an era. At his flypast in 2016, Hart dedicated the recognition to 鈥渢hose who fought and died and to those who survived, that we do not forget them.鈥 The Mount Allison community will long remember this Canadian hero.
MOLLY TRAPNELL (SIMMONS) CRITCHLEY (鈥48)
Submitted by her daughter Wendy Davis Johnson
Molly Trapnell (Simmons) Critchley (鈥48), artist, author, loving wife, and mother of four, grandmother of six, and great-grandmother of one, passed away on Aug. 8, 2019 in Halifax, NS.
Molly was born in Digby, NS in 1925. She and her sister, the late Jeanne Lusby (鈥46), and brothers, the late Donald Simmons and the late Robert Simmons, were raised in Amherst, NS. Molly鈥檚 talent and passion for art were evident early in her childhood and eventually led her to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
It was at Mount A that Molly met David Critchley (鈥47) (d. 1993), a Bermudian student. Molly always said that she fell in love with David on their first date 鈥 a Sadie Hawkins dance to which Molly invited David 鈥 and stayed in love with him for the rest of her life. He, in turn, was captivated by her radiant smile and exuberant spirit as so many were throughout her life.
They married in 1948.
In 1951, they returned to Bermuda where their first child, Wendy, was born in 1952.
In 1953, David鈥檚 career took them back to Canada, where Beth, Spencer, and Owen were born. The family lived in Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Halifax before returning to Bermuda in 1972.
Throughout, Molly pursued her calling as an artist. She produced hundreds of canvasses, and exhibited in galleries in Bermuda, North America, the U.K., and Europe. Her solo exhibits were presented in Berlin, Toronto, Halifax, and Bermuda. She participated in group shows in New York, Canada, and in London, England. Molly was a founding member of the Bermuda Society of the Arts and taught art at the former Robert Crawford School for Boys and at Warwick Academy.
Molly wrote and illustrated two books 鈥 A Victorian Nova Scotia Christmas (1994) and Childhood Then (2001). Both were inspired by childhood summers on the Amherst Shore and trips to Prince Edward Island to visit her father鈥檚 family.
Donations in Molly鈥檚 memory can be made to the Children鈥檚 Art Education program at the Owens Art Gallery.