Person Page - 1148

Ethel Mae Dunlap, 92, of New Glasgow, formerly of Upper Stewiacke, passed away on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 in the Aberdeen Hospital, New Glasgow.

Born in Centre Musquodoboit, she was a daughter of the late Walter F. and Mary (Fisher) Bezanson.

Ethel was a loving mother, and grandmother, enjoying her family times together. She was a member of the Jehovah Witness Kingdom Hall.

She will be dearly missed by her husband Doug Cameron; daughters and sons, Thelma Dunlap, PEI; Herman (Rene), Trenton; Bernie (Susan), Falmouth; Donna Gillis (Charles), PEI; Juanita Albert (Mario), New Glasgow; Kathy Dunlap, Stellarton; Freeman (Denise), Antigonish; Eunice Dunlap (Tony), Salt Springs; and Larry, Fredericton; daughter-in-law, Lola Dunlap, Truro; 41 grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild; brothers and sisters, Walter, Hilden, Stanley, Aylesford; Winnie, Spryfield; Jean, BC; Shirley, Cole Harbour; Ann, Dartmouth; special friends, Eleanor MacPherson, New Glasgow and Donnie Roach, Salt Springs.

She was predeceased by her first husband George Dunlap; sons and daughters, Ruby McCoul, Helen Horne, Roy, and Ronald; sisters and brothers, Ruby, Geordy, Everett, and Winston.

Special thanks to the V.O.N. for the special care given.

Visitation was held on Saturday, December 5, 2015 at Eagles Funeral Home, Westville. A grave side service followed at Riverside Cemetery, Upper Stewiacke with Rick Watson officiating.³

Age 71, of Trenton, passed away of cancer in the arms of his family on May 2, 2019. Herman was born August 24, 1947 in Newton Mills to George and Ethel (Bezanson) Dunlap.

Herman is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Irene (Arnold); daughters, Mona (Darren) Gay, Tammy (Mike) Linthorne, Rosanne(Kevin) Cavanaugh, Natasha (Scott Ormrod) Dunlap; beautiful grandchildren, Shelby, Hannah, Justin, Mikey (Shayla), Nicholas, JT, Aubrea, Ella, Broady, Kolten, and Paityn; great-grandchildren, Troy, Matthew, and Lydia; five sisters, three brothers, and many nieces and nephews; special sisters, Thelma (Gerald) Butler, Eunice Dunlap, Cathy Dunlap; special brothers, Bernie (Sue) Dunlap and Freeman (Denise) Dunlap.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Ethel; his son, Troy; sisters, Ruby and Helen; and brothers, Ronnie and Roy.

Herman was a loving father, husband, grandfather, and brother. He worked as a truck driver for over 40 years but was forced to give up the career he loved due to his health. Herman was a born trucker. He spent many years trucking long haul through the United States. He loved to share stories of his adventures traveling. On one trip, he visited Graceland and recorded a track of Blue Suede Shoes. Herman took his family on many of his trips over the years. It was a common thing for him to pack up one or more of his children or grandchildren, and hit the road. Herman loved to sing and play his guitar. If he wasn't working on his Chevy van or Buick, he was out sledding with the family dogs. Herman was also an avid fisherman. He packed up his Chevy van with fishing gear and boat, a couple of kids or a pup, and would spend the day looking for a new river or lake to fish.

There will be no visitation or funeral at his request. The family would like to give special thanks to all the care given to Herman by his doctors, palliative care, and VON.²

Stanley Leslie "Stan" Bezanson

Age 84 of Aylesford, passed away Wednesday, January 16, 2019 in Soldiers' Memorial Hospital, Middleton. Born in Musquodoboit, he was a son of the late Walter and Mary (Fisher) Bezanson.

Stan was a retired butcher having worked with Canada Packers, Larsens and O.H. Armstrong Limited. He loved showing his Belgian horses at the Hants County and Annapolis Valley Exhibitions. Stan enjoyed raising and breeding horses and farming. He enjoyed helping and working with his children.

Stan is survived by his wife of 66 years, Violet (Reid), Aylesford; daughter, Lesa Bezanson (Dave), Truro; sons, Leonard Bezanson (Heather), Aylesford; Rick (Laurie) Bezanson, East Margaretsville; Robert Bezanson (Suzanne), New Albany; Timothy Bezanson, Melvern Square; Jason Bezanson, Melvern Square; Joey Bezanson, Springfield; sisters, Jean (Roy) Fisher, Williams Lake, B.C; Shirley Bezanson, Dartmouth; Anna Harvey, Halifax; brother, Walter (Eileen) Bezanson, Hilden; grandchildren, Jamie, Leonard, Greg, Mary, Rory, Naomi, Ricky, Colton, Abigail, Josh, Cody, Dustin, Allison, Morgan, MacKenzie, Justin, Jeremy, Cheyenne; and 19 great-grandchildren.

Besides his parents, he was predeceased by sons, Ervin and Earle, Jerrylee and a son in infancy; grandson, David; sisters, Winnie, Ethel; and brother, Winston.

In keeping with Stan's wishes, cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday, January 23rd in Middleton Funeral Home, 398 Main St., with Rev. Bill McLeod officiating. Interment will be held at a later date in Riverside Cemetery, Upper Stewiacke.²

Violet Mae Bezanson

Age 81 years of Aylesford, passed away suddenly on Thursday, June 13, 2019 in the Halifax Infirmary, QEII, Halifax. Born in Dean, Halifax Co., she was a daughter of the late Charles and Frances (Bartlett) Reid.

Violet especially loved her dogs and enjoyed working in her gardens. In her younger years, she raised many goats and limousine cattle. Violet was a hard worker and worked for numerous farms in the Annapolis Valley. She was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Violet will be sadly missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by daughter, Lesa Bezanson (Dave), Truro; sons, Leonard Bezanson (Heather), Aylesford; Rick (Laurie) Bezanson, East Margaretsville; Robert Bezanson (Suzanne), New Albany; Timothy Bezanson, Melvern Square; Jason Bezanson, Melvern Square; Joey Bezanson, Springfield; sisters, Ilene Bezanson, Hilden; Thelma Strong and Annie Hughes, both of Truro; grandchildren, Jamie, Leonard, Greg, Mary, Rory, Naomi, Ricky, Colton, Abigail, Josh, Cody, Dustin, Allison, Mor-gan, MacKenzie, Justin, Jeremy, Cheyenne; and 19 great-grandchildren.

Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Stanley; sons, Ervin, Earle, Jerrylee and a son in infancy; grandson, David; sisters, Helen Bates, Margaret Higgins, Pearl Brown; brothers, Roland and George.

In keeping with Violet's wishes, cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Friday, June 21st in Middleton Funeral Home, 398 Main St., with Rev. Robin McCoombs officiating followed by the interment at 4 p.m. in Riverside Cemetery, Upper Stewiacke. All are welcome. Special thanks to her niece Diane for all her kindness shown to Violet.¹

BEZANSON, Walter Donald – Age 89, Hilden formerly of Newton Mills.

Walter passed away peacefully in the Colchester East Hants Health Centre, Truro on August 30th, 2021. He was born on January 19, 1932 in Dean, Upper Musquodoboit, a son of the late Mary (Fisher) and Walter Bezanson.

Walter resided in Newton Mills most of his life with his loving wife, Eileen. Later in life, both Walter and Eileen resided in Hilden. In Walter's early years, he did some farming, but most of his time until his retirement, was spent in the woods. After retirement, he enjoyed working in his blueberry fields. He would also help out his friends with any odd jobs. He was constantly lending a hand to anyone who needed it. He always looked forward to his family visiting and especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Walter will be forever in our hearts and forever loved.

Walter is survived by his wife of 70 years, Eileen (Reid) Bezanson; eleven children, Donald, Steven (Judy), Michael (Judy), Perry (Lynn), Linda, Dianna, Betty (Martin), John, Leslie (Joe), Elizabeth (Frank) Joanna (Clark); nineteen grandchildren; twenty three great grandchildren and sisters, Shirley and Jean.

Besides his parents, Walter was predeceased by his brothers, Stanley and Winston; sisters, Winnie, Ann and Ethel.

A Graveside service will be held on Tuesday, September 7th at 11 a.m. in the Riverside Cemetery, Upper Stewiacke. Arrangements have been entrusted to Colchester Community Funeral Home, 512 Willow St., Truro, NS. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.ColchesterCommunity.com.¹

Walter Donald BEZANSON

Age 89, Hilden, passed on August 30, 2021, in Colchester East Hants Health Centre, Truro. Graveside service on September 7th at 11 a.m. in Riverside Cemetery, Upper Stewiacke.³

BEZANSON, Winston Spencer "Grampy" -- 69, entered into rest unexpectedly on Saturday, December 17, 2011, in QEII Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, surrounded by his wife and daughters. Winston resided in Lower Sackville for about 40 years. Some long-time residents will remember him for his patience as he helped them become safe drivers through Bezanson Driver Training School. Friends and family will remember him as a "backyard mechanic" as he took great pleasure in troubleshooting and fixing old cars. Winston retired several years ago and former co-workers will remember him for his strong work ethic and honesty. All who knew him, however, will remember him for his kind nature, inability to say "no" to anyone in need. He was an exceptionally loving and doting father and grandfather and took great pride in all of his children's and grandchildren's accomplishments.

Winston was predeceased by his parents, Walter and Mary (Fisher) Bezanson, and recently lost his son, Derek.

He is survived by his wife, Delores (Murphy); daughters, Deb (Gary), Tami (Brian), Nikki (Donnie); stepdaughters, Shirley (Doug) and Darlene (Jeff); friend and mother of his children, Gerri; grandsons, Codi-Ray, Michael, Derek "Doozer", Kevin, Scott and Joshua. granddaughters, Cherish, Callahan, Liz, Khrysty, Karlee, Khace, and Rhylee; great-grandsons, Jordan, Phoenix, and Shawn; great-granddaughter, Kamdyn; brothers, Walter and Stan and sisters, Ethel, Winnie, Jean, Shirley, and Ann.

A celebration of Winston will be held Thursday, December 22 at 12 noon in Knox United Church, 567 Sackville Dr., Lower Sackville. Reception to follow in the same location.²

"Art is contemplation. It is the pleasure of the mind which searches into nature and there finds the Divine by which Nature herself is animated." – Auguste Rodin

Brother Thomas Bezanson, an internationally known potter, died on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at his home.

Brother Thomas was a ceramic artist, a master of complex glazes in his colors and of purity of line in his forms who said, "I struggle to express my intuition of the beautiful. I want my work to be as much a spiritual experience for others as it is for me."

Brother Thomas, born Charles Bezanson in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on August 5, 1929, graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Design in 1950 and received a degree in commerce from St. Mary's University, Halifax. He had, at that time, also begun his work in ceramic art.

In 1959, he became a monk of Weston Priory, Vermont, a community of Benedictine men. He continued both his art and his formal education at Weston. Brother Thomas received the PhD in philosophy and the University gold medal from Ottawa University in 1968. He says, of the gift Weston was to him and his art, which he learned from his brother monks, that: "The first extension of love and freedom is creativity, and without them there is no possibility for art to exist in this world."

In 1978, Brother Thomas was invited to travel to Japan where he met five Japanese potters, designated "living national treasures" by the Japanese government. These men deeply influenced his work and his thought. He wrote, "Japanese master potters touched my spirit. They taught me to appreciate my own work and to recognize my responsibility as an artist." In 1984 he was awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts. Since 1985, he has been artist in residence at Mount St. Benedict Monastery, Erie, PA where the Benedictine community, privileged to share his life and his art for these past 22 years, mourn his loss.

As Brother Thomas developed his glazes, his goals were: "color, depth of surface and uniqueness." "Technology" he said, "is the bridge (or barrier) to realizing the intuition. Glaze is headwork while the form is contemplative." Of the forms of his pots, Thomas said, "The line defines form and encloses a space; it gives at the same time the space within and without." His practice was, first, to throw the pot, then, having studied the line of the pot, to choose the glaze so that each could enhance the other. "Sometimes there is that rare happening which is a very special experience. It is a beautiful piece that seems as if it was done by someone else. Those are rare pots, rare moments, full of the transcendence beauty calls us to." "I feel like someone with a message to deliver, which is why the cycle [of making the pot]…is completed only when I am able to share that message with others…That's the moment of completion – the shared mutual recognition of the beautiful. My work is from myself but not for myself.

Over the past 35 years, Brother Thomas's work has been exhibited at more than forty one-man shows. His pots are held in more than eighty public collections in such museums as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Internationally, museums in Japan, Canada, England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Israel and the Vatican also hold examples of his work. Brother Thomas was the author of numerous articles, monographs, books and lectures on art and its spiritual aspects.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Alonso and Jessica Revels Bezanson; his sisters, Marjorie Webb, Clare Vaughan, Mary O'Toole and Marianne Hartley; and his brother, Reginald.

He is survived by his sisters, Ellen MacFarlane, Sharon Harland, Jacqueline MacLeod; several nieces and nephews.⁴

BEZANSON, Joanne Marie Lawson

It is with great sadness that we, the family of Joanne Marie Lawson Bezanson, announce her passing in Cape Breton Regional Hospital, Sydney, Cape Breton on January 14, 2018. She was a daughter of the late James Everett Rozee and Jean Lawson Baird Rozee.

She is survived by her sister, Barbara Smith; and brother, David Rozee Sr. She was predeceased by her first husband, Reginald Bezanson Sr; her second husband, James Latter; brothers, Robert Rozee and Dr. Ken Rozee, and sister, Beverly Mahabir.

Joanne married her childhood sweetheart, Reginald Bezanson Sr. He was a soldier and her early life was spent traveling from base to base across Canada and raising her growing family. She had four children: Barb (Bruce) Scott, Reg (Linda) Bezanson, Allan (Sandy) Bezanson and Charles (Heather Imhoff) Bezanson. During this time Joanne was a stay at home mom and was extensively involved with her community through the Girl Guides of Canada, eventually becoming a Commissioner of Girl Guides in the Oromocto area of New Brunswick.

As with all military wives of the time, she was soon moving again, this time to sunny Manitoba. As her children were now older, she returned to the work force and worked at a bakery in Rivers, Man. The local high school students soon learned of her talent and rushed the bakery every lunch hour to sample her creations of the day. Joanne’s door was always open and the kitchen table counsel was freely and lovingly given to all who sought it. There was always a warm hug, a hot cup of tea and open invitation to stay as long as it took to solve whatever it was.

Joanne eventually returned to Halifax, her place of birth, and found employment with MT& T, where she made many lifelong friends and developed a career in Yellow Page Sales. After the death of her husband (Reg Bezanson) she dedicated her spare time to hospice work with the 'Daughters of The Nile' volunteering her time and energy to the veterans at Camp Hill Hospital. Throughout Joanne’s life music was a passion that was expressed daily with many favourite tunes being sung with a beautiful and gifted voice that comforted many a child and veteran alike.

Joanne was blessed with grandchildren, Carole Anne Mastoras, William Allen Scott, Amanda Handley, Dr. Joshua Bezanson, Dr. Thayne Bezanson, Jesse Bezanson and Kate Bezanson, and great-grandchildren, Julia, Lily and Avery. Cremation has taken place. The family will have an interment and a celebration of life in the spring, date and location TBA.¹