Aileen (Hughes) Brown

Aileen Elizabeth (Hughes) Brown, passed away on July 22, 2021 after an eighteen-month journey with cancer, Aileen was 73 years old. She was the beloved wife of 48 years to her husband, John; and mother to three children, Linda (Darin), James (Sherri), and predeceased by son Sean; and grandmother to Jordin and Ashlynn. She is also survived by her sisters, Brenda and Judy, and brothers, Gary and Jimmy and a very large extended family on both the Hughes and Brown sides. Aileen was a dear friend to many others and strived to be a friend and welcome all into her home. The world will be a little duller without her bright smile, welcoming arms, infectious laugh and giving heart. The family extends special thanks to the loving care she received from the palliative care and oncology teams, Aberdeen Hospital and Victoria General and Marla MacDonald NP. Thanks also to Father Gary MacPherson for spiritual support. Funeral arrangements are in care of R.H. Porter Funeral Home, New Glasgow. Due to COVID conditions, there will be no visitation or reception. Family funeral will take place Tuesday, July 27 at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church. Burial in Christ the King Cemetery. The order of service is below. In lieu of flowers, her family is asking that donations be made to your local food bank. Aileen was passionate about helping others - join a committee, serve in your community or just pass on positivity whenever you have the opportunity.

Eulogy - Aileen Brown: A life of loving connections

Aileen Elizabeth Hughes was born in 1947 and raised into a big Irish Scots family in the close-knit industrial town of Trenton NS. Her father Jim was from Riverton PEI and her mother Chrissy from Antigonish County. Together they raised six children – three boys (Gary, James and Owen), and three girls (Aileen, Judy and Brenda), Aileen was the eldest girl.

She went to school at St John’s Academy in New Glasgow, Trenton High and Success Business College in Truro. 

Her first job as a teenager was at the Cosy Corner in New Glasgow and then on to business office positions with a manufacturing company in Toronto, the Newfoundland Fisherman’s Union in St John’s, the Department of Transportation in Yellowknife and in Moncton, Johnson Insurance in Ottawa, and the Marshlands Inn in Sackville, among many others.  All this time she and John raised their kids and moved across Canada with John’s job with Indian Affairs. 

Aileen met John during an election campaign in 1972. He was the NDP candidate for Central Nova, she was a party supporter. They fell in love at first sight, committed to marry in three days and were married three months later at the convent chapel in Trenton. They spent their early years together in Pictou County. 

Their cross-country adventure began with John‘s teaching position at Elsipogtog (then known as Big Cove) in New Brunswick and then, Amherst, Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Fredericton and Sackville where they stayed for many years to let the kids finish school in one place.  After the kids left home they moved to Ottawa and Whitehorse, retiring to Amherst and then Pictou Landing.   

Aileen and John’s own family started with the birth of Sean Roderick in New Glasgow, who died six months later, followed by Linda and James (Jimmy) in Amherst. Through thick and thin, they supported their kids, and have been fortunate to have them now nearby, in PEI, with their own families. 

Moving from community to community Aileen made a major contribution to many volunteer organizations – Canadian Diabetes Association, VON, Sackville Waterfowl Park, Cumberland County Historical Society, Sackville Minor League Baseball, United Way Yukon.  Wherever they went the Catholic Church and soup kitchens benefited from Aileen’s skills of organization, hospitality and love of feeding people. 

Despite the many changes in her life, including many hardships and challenges, there are constant threads that sustained her and those she loved. These included her Catholic faith, her loving relationship to John over 48 years; her love and support of her kids, and grandkids; her encouragement for every member of the big Brown and Hughes clans, particularly the teenage nieces and nephews, her love of cooking and in later years her love of travel.

Aileen loved to travel and in each place learned new dishes to bring back to the family.  They travelled over the globe and enjoyed doing home exchanges which allowed them the freedom to spend a month here or there exploring communities, finding new haunts and learning about the culture of the area.

She kept a calendar of birthdays and anniversaries, over two hundred in all and for decades up until her final days sent a card on each and every occasion. 

Her refuge was the Pictou Landing cottage and the community there, the site of many happy gatherings.   

Aileen was known for her ability to make friends wherever she went, her welcome of strangers, and all those who joined her sense of fun and adventure. She was blunt spoken but with an open heart and ear to all. 

All in all, Aileen was a remarkable woman who lived a full life. We cherish her memory.

 

Mass of Christian Burial

Tuesday, July 27, 2021, 2pm

Saint John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, 

New Glasgow

Presider: Fr. Gary MacPherson

Deacon: Rev. Sander Burke

Organist: Dennis MacDonald

Introductory Rites

Gathering Hymn: Lord of All Hopefulness (CBW 497)

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8      Mary Ellen Tierney

Psalm 23: Ruth Brown

Second Reading: Timothy 4: 6-8       Brenda Huntley

Gospel: Matthew 11: 25-30                   

Homily            

Prayers of the Faithful: Marsha Sutton

Preparation of Gifts: Gaelic Air – My Mother

Liturgy of the Eucharist

Holy, Holy, Holy

Memorial Acclamation

Amen

Communion Rite

Our Father

Sign of Peace

Lamb of God

Communion Hymn: Here I Am Lord (CBW 520)

Closing Prayer

Final Commendation

The Recessional: The Dark Island