Mrs Anne West

Anne West (neé Gross) passed away peacefully at home in Halifax on November 25, 2015. She was predeceased by her husband of 45 years, Christopher West, and survived by her boys, Peter (Barbara Hayward), Michael (Jennifer King), and Anthony (Sara Ryan), and her eight grandchildren, Madeleine and Evan (Michael); Margot, Bridget and Simon (Anthony); and Oliver, Maude and Celeste (Peter). Anne was an inspiration and friend to so many, a workhorse of the community, a dedicated border collie owner, and a loving wife, mother and grandmother.

Anne was born in 1935 in Portsmouth, England. During World War II she lived in Keswick (Lake District) with her mother (Kathleen) and sister (Miggie) while her father (Roland, or Ron) was serving in the Royal Navy. After school she entered the Inland Revenue service and spent three years working as a secretary in Winchester.

Anne was adventurous and set out in 1957 for Montreal. Here she worked as a secretary and then fund-raiser for the newly-formed Oxfam Canada, travelled by bus across the continent with a girlfriend, and socialized! She met Chris while skiing at Sainte-Adèle and the two were married in Montreal in 1965. Between 1966 and 1970, Peter, Michael and Anthony were born, while the couple lived variously in Scotland and Norfolk (UK), New Brunswick, and Suffolk (UK). In Suffolk from 1970 to 1979 Anne raised her boys near her sister and parents. In her spare time worked for a publishing company, balanced the books for Chris’ naval architecture consultancy, and took on several good causes.

In 1979, Anne and Chris moved to Marystown, Newfoundland. While Chris worked at the shipyard and the boys went to boarding school in the UK, Anne worked as a freelance journalist. She wrote hundreds of stories and spent many hundreds of hours in her darkroom watching the images appear: oil rigs, fish plants, ferries, ships, wharves, roads, and people, people, people! For several years she produced a bulletin for Bow Valley Offshore Drilling, and on one occasion was flown out by helicopter to visit the rigs. She also reported on the tragic sinking of the Ocean Ranger. Her materials have been accepted by The Rooms Provincial Archives as a valuable collection and source of information on the Burin Peninsula.

In 1983, the family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Anne continued her journalistic career, covering the visit of Charles and Diana in 1983, and then landing the position of Editor at the Sackville Citizen. From 1986 to 1994 she worked at Saint Mary's University as Editor of The Times and later as Assistant Director of Public Affairs. She was responsible for most of the University’s promotional and institutional publications. She loved her job and being part of university community. As Coordinator for WUSC, she sponsored, mentored, supported and hosted-for-dinner many African refugee students.

Anne and Chris joined the parish of St. George’s Round Church in the mid 1980s. Anne’s contributions over a 30 year period have been fundamental to the parish. When a fire destroyed forty per cent of the structure of the church in 1994 including its dome and cupola, Anne was a driving force behind the “Miracle on Brunswick Street”. She worked tirelessly on the project and found in the challenge the perfect use for her public relations, journalistic, and graphic design skills. She wrote government grant applications, letters to everyone from royalty down, and organized and publicized yard sales, concerts, and balls. She was determined that the church would “Rise Again” without debt, and she was successful in raising the five million dollars that it took to make this happen. At a birthday party held for Anne in August, Father Gary Thorne, rector through those years, gave a moving account of Anne’s dedication to this cause and thanked her for her hard work.

Anne was not content to rest on her laurels and went on to play important roles in the establishment and operation of St. George’s Youth Net, the restoration of the Little Dutch (Deutsch) Church, the restoration of Point Pleasant Park following its devastation by Hurricane Juan in 2003, and more recently the restoration of the St. George’s Church Hall. As a result of her contributions, Anne received two honorary degrees: a Doctor of Canon Law (honoris causa) from the University of King’s College in 1999 and a Doctor of Letters from St. Mary’s University bestowed in 2005.

The family would like to thank the Continuing Care and Palliative Care services of Capital Health, Bayshore Home Care, and the VON for the fantastic and sensitive care that allowed Anne to stay with us until the end.

A funeral service will be held at St. George’s Round Church, 2222 Brunswick St, Halifax at 11:00 am on Monday, November 30, with reception to follow in the Church Hall. Donations may be made for the restoration of the Music Room in the Church Hall. Cheques should be made payable to St. George’s, with A. West and Music Room in the memo line. To leave an online condolence, please visit www.jasnowfuneralhome.com.