Jill Alexander

ALEXANDER (Field), Elinor Ramsay Armitage “Jill” -- 90, passed away peacefully on August 27 accompanied by family at St. Vincent’s Nursing Home, Halifax following a brief illness. Jill was born in Halifax on June 22, 1921, the daughter of the late Helen Dorothy Adams Armitage and Kenneth Carstairs “Jock” Arnell, grew up in Bermuda, and lived in England before moving back to Halifax in 1947. Jill and her family moved to Sydney in 1949 and returned to Halifax in 1960 where she has lived ever since. She was predeceased by husbands, Donald Clifford “Michael” Field and Winton Alexander, brother John Carstairs Armitage “Jack” Arnell of Hamilton, Bermuda and sister Joyce Armitage Charlesworth of Shrewsbury, England.

Jill was a homemaker and loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, a devout member of the congregation of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Halifax, the parish of her grandfather, Archdeacon William James Armitage, and a devoted supporter of St. Phillips Anglican Church, Purcell’s Cove. She, with her seven sons, was the originator of the generous gift of the Captain Arnell Memorial Lands in Purcell’s Cove to The Nature Trust of Nova Scotia. Jill was an accomplished water colourist and painting teacher and an active member of the Painters’ Palette, War Brides of Canada, the Commonwealth Society, the St. George’s Society, and the former Archibald MacMechan Chapter of the IODE.

Jill is survived by her seven Field sons, Christopher Arnell (Harriet), Roger Michael (Lorraine), Nicholas John (Pam), Timothy Nigel (Susan Wakefield), Kenneth Carstairs (Margot Louise), Peter Ramsay (Cheryl Osmond), and Robert Septimus (Bettyann Power), and by seventeen grandchildren, Brian, Andrew, Matthew, Toby, Jon Eben, Ellen, Morgan, Lauren, Tyler ,Eve, Jill, Ben, Emily, Alex, Rachel, Marley and Cody, as well as six great-granddaughters and six great-grandsons.

Jill was devoted to her family and will be remembered for her consistent good cheer and positive attitude, her strength of character, and the way she always had time for children and consistently took delight in their presence. She will be missed by family and by the many friends young and old who knew and loved her.

Family members would like to give special thanks to the staff of St. Vincent’s Nursing Home for their expert care, kindness, and compassion, as well as to the Extended Paramedic Service and the Emergency Department and 8th floor staff at the Halifax Infirmary, QEII Health Sciences Centre. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Grand Parade, Halifax. Visitations will be held at Cruikshanks Funeral Home on Windsor Street from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, September 1 at 1 p.m. in St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Halifax, followed by a reception in the church. To view or place an online message of condolence please visit www.cruikshankhalifaxfuneralhome.com