Budge Marjorie Wilson

WILSON, Budge Marjorie MacGregor, CM, ONS. Died peacefully in Halifax, NS on March 19, 2021. Daughter of Mr. Justice M. B. Archibald and Helen (Dustan) Archibald. Sister of Joan Colborne. Wife of Alan Wilson. Mother of Glynis (Paul) of Red Deer, AB and Andrea (Harold) of Sackville, NB. Grandmother of Nicholas and Lucas. Friend to many.

Born in Halifax on May 2, 1927, Budge attended Le Marchant Street School, Halifax Ladies College, Branksome Hall, King’s College, Dalhousie University, and University of Toronto. She graduated from Dal with a B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology, a Diploma in Education, and a Certificate in Physical Education. A popular student, she drank endless cups of coffee at “The Gym Store” and was yearbook artist/co-editor. In her final year, she was crowned Campus Queen. “The girls” of Sherriff Hall remained friends for life.

In 1952, she met Alan, a U of T graduate student who nearly drowned them on their first date. Budge and Alan lived to tell the tale (often) and married in 1953. She supported them as a library assistant, artist, secretary, and editor while Alan finished his PhD. In 1954, they bought a place in Northwest Cove on the south shore of Nova Scotia. They returned there regularly throughout their lives. In 1956, they moved to Wolfville, NS where their first daughter, Glynis, was born.

Their second daughter, Andrea, was born in 1960 shortly after they moved to London, ON. Budge haunted art galleries, while also working periodically as a commercial artist and as a contributor to publications including The Globe and Mail and Chatelaine. She also continued to draw and paint prolifically. After they moved to Peterborough in 1964, Budge volunteered for a number of not-for-profit organizations. (She maintained that her greatest contribution at Board meetings was levity.) She also became a successful photographer of children and an enthusiastic fitness instructor for adults and seniors for over 20 years.

At 50, Budge began writing for children, teens, and adults in a room at Peterborough’s Mount St. Joseph Convent. Her first children’s fiction was published in 1984, while her first book of short stories for adults, The Leaving, was published in 1990. There followed dozens of books. And awards. And acclaim. In all, she published well over 30 books, many of which were translated into a number of languages and published in several countries. Her 32nd book, Friendships, was nominated for the Governor General’s Award. Her 33rd book, Before Green Gables (commissioned by Penguin Canada), was a highly successful prequel to L. M. Montgomery’s first Anne book. She was most proud of After Swissair, a book of poetry about the 1998 disaster. Budge’s stories were anthologized extensively. She loved reading to children and adults in schools and libraries, especially in the north.

Budge and Alan returned to Nova Scotia in 1989 where she became a highly valued friend and colleague in the writing community. She was showered with many honours, including The Queen of Everything (from members of the Nova Scotia Children’s Literature Roundtable). She was invested as a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Nova Scotia, and also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. She received honorary degrees from her alma mater, Dalhousie University, and Mount St. Vincent University.

Budge was deeply loved. As wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and colleague, she will be profoundly missed in Halifax and far beyond.

The family would like to thank the many amazing people who have offered care, love, and support to Budge over the past few years, including Jodi Bartlett and the staff at Parkland at the Gardens and (more recently) the staff of the QEII Infirmary 7.2 ward. The family offers heart-felt gratitude to Budge’s nephew, Michael Colborne, and his wife, Barbara Carter. Ever and always, the family is deeply grateful to Kirsten Franklin, Budge’s friend and ours.

A celebration of Budge’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Writer’s Federation of Nova Scotia or a charity of your choice. Cards of condolence may be sent to JA Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, Halifax, NS, B3S 0E1. Or you may leave a message on the online condolence site at www.jasnowfuneralhome.com