Obituary of Eileen Wadden

Margaret "Eileen" Wadden It is with great sadness that we announce that Eileen Wadden, age 90, passed away in Wolfville Nursing Home on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. She was a lifelong member of the Anglican Church. Eileen was born on May 10, 1931 and raised in Glace Bay as the younger of two children of Stanley and Norena (Kennedy) Wadden. Her brother, Art (93) still lives in Glace Bay. She grew up close to her cousins, Kaye, Stanley and Cheryl, who have all passed away over the past few years. Eileen always loved her time in the “country” at her family’s “bungalow” in Big Bras d’Or. Never enjoying school, she was happy to put that behind her, and after graduating, she worked in Cape Breton for a few years. Then it was off to Halifax where she had a fun-filled life with many roommates and many friends. She enjoyed traveling, often taking trips with friends with no set plan. In the mid-1960s Imperial Oil offered their workers a choice – a transfer to Toronto or no job, so, in her mid-30s, off to Toronto she went. More travel and adventures followed. In 1968 she found out she was expecting a child, and with the loving support from her family, while still living in Toronto, she gave up her son for adoption. After returning to Glace Bay to recover, she moved back to Halifax. She worked for N.S. Tractors until she was 65. In spite of not being a fan of the sciences, she found herself working in the computer department there before moving on to the service desk. Six years ago, Eileen received an unexpected call from an RCMP officer named Paul Reshaur in Victoria, BC. Paul had taken a DNA test which had led him to Eileen. Paul discovered that he is the son she gave up for adoption almost 50 years earlier. She was delighted to hear that he was alright and grew up with a loving family in Winnipeg. The following year, she made the trek to BC to meet Paul on her 85th birthday. Paul has kept in touch since and has been to Nova Scotia to visit. He has inherited Eileen’s sense of adventure and has recently begun a trip around the world in his own sailboat. Eileen was close to her brother, Art and his wife, Florence. Art had two children- the oldest, Glenn, lived with Eileen for several years in the late 70s when he was studying at Dalhousie. Eileen’s niece, Brenda George, lives in Cape Breton. Brenda and her husband, Bradley, their children Sherri and Janna, along with Glenn and his wife, Ann, their children, Linda (Matt and children, Rebecca, Adeline and Levi), Paul (Hrefna and children, Bella and Finnur), Jenny (Iain and son, Wallace) and Michael have been an important part of Eileen’s life. Ann’s family, her mother, Mona and her siblings, Shona (husband, Kevin) and Gary (wife, Kadre, children, Sean, Tessa, Daniel, Molly, Jonah and Maggie) and even the friends of the children in her family all thought of her as “Aunt Eileen”. Her life was enriched by her many close friends including, Eva (predeceased), Helen (predeceased), Pearl, Marion, Shirley, May, Sheila, Doris, Suzanne and Joan. Many thanks to the kind staff of Wolfville Nursing Home who took excellent care of Eileen for the past two and a half years. Arrangements for cremation have been entrusted to DeMont Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 419 Albert St., Windsor (902-798-8317). An interment service will be held in the spring in Glace Bay. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting: www.demontfamilyfuneralhome.ca