Frances Colleen Welsford

Frances Colleen Welsford (nee Yates), 93, formerly of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia passed away peacefully at the Mahone Bay Nursing Home on January 12, 2018.

Colleen was the daughter of Leslie and Barbara Yates, born in 1924 in Bellingham, Washington and then moved to Vancouver, British Columbia . She was predeceased by her parents, husband William (Bill) Dodge Welsford and sister Diane Shankey. She is survived by her daughter Jill Welsford, son/daughter-in law Richard and Barbara Welsford, grandchildren David and Lindsay Welsford, her great grandchildren Riley and Liam Smith, and Oscar Welsford, and niece and nephews Robyn, Randy, Ron and Todd Allan, and Tracey and Charlene Welsford.

Colleen most fondly remembered her visits as a child to Cultas Lake, British Columbia with her grandmother Mabel Edmunson. She graduated from Lord Byng Secondary School in 1941, worked at the Royal Bank of Canada and married Lt. William D. Welsford (RCN) in 1945. Colleen, and Bill as a senior executive of the William M. Mercer Ltd. organization, lived in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and New York City. In 1985, they retired to Longboat Key, Florida and in 2001, Colleen moved once more to Lunenburg to be with her family.

While living in Toronto, Colleen graduated from Quo Vadis School of Nursing with her RN at age 47. She worked at Sunnybrook Hospital specializing in psychiatric nursing and remained active in the recovery community thereafter. While in Lunenburg Colleen participated in many activities including the St. John’s Ambulance Therapy Dog program with her beloved dachshund Katie. She enjoyed entertaining, travelling, painting classes with Janet, needlepoint and playing bridge. Most of all, Colleen loved the Christmas season, giving to others and being with family and friends. She will be missed by many.

A cremation has already taken place and her remains will be returned to the Cultas Lake area next summer. The Welsford family wishes to thank all her friends, doctors and caregivers at Ridgewood Retirement Centre, South Shore Regional Hospital, Fishermans Memorial Hospital and the Mahone Bay Nursing Home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Colleen’s name to the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program ( ns.sjatraining.ca ), 72 Highfield Park, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, CA B3A 4X2 or the SHAID Tree Animal Shelter ( shaid.ca ), 100 High Street, Suite 138, Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, CA, B4V 1V9