Obituary of Ethel Gertrude Saunders

 

The peaceful passing of Ethel Gertrude Saunders, wife of the late Reid Saunders, occurred with family on Sunday September 8, 2024 at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton.  Born on May 19, 1926 in Salisbury, New Brunswick, Ethel was the daughter of the late Walter and Winifred Burnham.

Ethel had a long and eventful life.  Ethel was the devoted wife of the late Reid Saunders, a true partnership.  During Reid’s 30 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces, Ethel and Reid moved all across Canada from Vancouver to Newfoundland and to Germany as occupation forces. Ethel raised two young children while Reid was posted as a peacekeeper in the Middle East.  After Reid’s retirement from the military, Ethel and Reid moved to Fredericton, where Ethel was active in managing Courier Cards and volunteering at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital gift store.  Ethel was a long term member of Christ Church Cathedral and was dedicated to supporting her mother, the late Winifred Burnham.  Always well dressed and with hair done, despite increasing challenges in her later years, Ethel remained resolute and uncomplaining to the end, keenly interested in her family and the world.

Ethel is survived by her daughters, Pamela Miller (David) and Gywn Schellenberg (David); grandchildren, Emily Miller (Abid), Jonathan Miller, Kate Schellenberg, Mike Schellenberg (Summer), Lisa Taylor (Max); great-grandchildren, Daniel and Henry Taylor, Felix Schellenberg; and several nieces and nephews.

Besides her parents and husband, Ethel was predeceased by her brother, Fenwick Burnham.

A Memorial Service will be held at York Funeral Home’s T. Gordon MacLeod Memorial Chapel, 302 Brookside Drive Fredericton on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 2 pm with Dean Geoffrey Hall officiating.  Interment will take place at Fairhaven Cemetery, Moncton NB at a later date.

The family would like to thank Ethel’s dear friend and support Jeannie Walton Wilson, Elizabeth Warman, and niece Shelley Dyet.  Thanks to all the wonderful staff at Windsor Court who provided excellent and kind care in Ethel’s last years, and for the compassionate care on 3E DECRH.

For those who wish, remembrances may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.  Personal condolences may be offered through www.yorkfh.com