Obituary of Carol Ann Clowater

With great sadness, the family of Carol Ann (Wade) Clowater announces her passing on June 17, 2021. Carol is survived by her husband Robert (Bob) Clowater, daughter Roberta Clowater (Steve Reid) of Fredericton, sons Duane Clowater (Angela) of Fredericton, Patrick Clowater (Julie) of Chatham, Ontario; beloved grandchildren Merissa (Logan Baigent), Gavin and Kyler Clowater, Sarah and Maya Clowater; her siblings, Neil Wade (Calgary), Ruth Esau (Penniac) and June Wade (Penniac), her nieces and nephews; sisters-in-law Meda Titus, Alta Fazio (Frank) and brother-in-law Dow Clowater, and her special Gailey cousins (Gill, Jan, Bev, Lorraine and Michelle).

Born in Fredericton on April 17, 1941, Carol was raised in Penniac, where she spent happy years attending a one room schoolhouse, looking after the occasional cow and other farm animals, roaming the trails and streams, and riding horses. After graduating from Fredericton High School, Carol attended nursing school at the Victoria Public Hospital in Fredericton. She often told stories of those fun days at VPH with her group of nurses-in-training, most of whom have kept in touch with each other for over 60 years! When she became an RN, Carol worked in the nursery at VPH. She married Bob in 1963, and continued working as a nurse until her youngest, Pat, was born. She then took a hiatus to spend time with her children, which she did with great devotion and pride. Carol spent countless hours attending baseball and basketball games, scout and brownie events, and school concerts, and we heard that many of our friends considered her a bit of a den mother for them as well. When her children were all teens, Carol took the refresher course to go back to nursing and worked through the 1980s at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital. It was a real sense of accomplishment for Carol that she was able to make this transition, given the changes in technology in hospitals since she had last practiced.

When she retired, Carol and Bob moved to their home in Penniac, with large flower gardens and lots of opportunity to practice casual birdwatching, along with spotting all kinds of wildlife that travelled through their yard. Carol became an avid and expert quilter and loved her quilting days with the Penniac Quilters group, even winning prize ribbons at the Fredericton Exhibition for the personal quilts she made! Despite a diagnosis of mixed connective tissue disease (akin to Scleroderma) almost 20 years ago, Carol kept as active as she could, going to country music concerts, participating in a local Scleroderma support group, hosting family gatherings, and being the glue that bonded her family together. Her family and friends will miss her gentle kindness and humour, and her devoted support for those she loved.

Donations in Carol’s name can be made to Scleroderma Canada (which provided much needed information to Carol about how to live with this unpredictable condition), the Fredericton SPCA (where Carol adopted many cats over the years), or Hope for Wildlife (which Carol followed on TV with great interest and respect for their dedication, and happily got to visit a few years ago).  Visitation will be Tuesday June 22, 2021 from 6-8 pm at York Funeral Home. A private service will be held on Wednesday June 23, 2021 in the former Penniac Baptist Church.