Evans, Adele - Age 74, died unexpectedly in the early morning of October 15, 2024 at home in Halifax, with her husband Aidan nearby.
Adele was born in the old Halifax Infirmary, the second of ultimately ten children of the late Ralph Frederick Manuge and [Mary] Claire Manuge. People's birthdays were important to Adele, as recipients of "singing telegrams" and sometimes birthday cakes can attest.
Adele was not one to do things by halves. In 2000, having survived the Y2K crisis, she wanted to have an all day birthday party underway the very moment she was 50. So invitations said the party would start at 5:27 a.m. and indeed, on the day, there were friends ringing the doorbell in the predawn twilight.
From stories she told me of her early life, Adele seems to have been strong willed and firm in her opinions from the beginning. Once, annoyed at some parental action, she stormed out of home in Dartmouth and headed on foot along Highway 7 to West Petpeswick (about 50 kilometers) where her Nanny lived. Fortunately, she was picked up her uncle Greg who was driving home along the same route. Some of Adele's happiest and most influential childhood memories were of the summer times living with Nanny O'Leary and another uncle, Father Gerald, a Eudist priest.
Adele grew up mostly in Dartmouth but because of her father's RCN postings also spent time in Quebec and Annapolis Royal. After high school she attended Dalhousie University, enjoying living in residence and theater department activities, but withdrew after one semester because of depression which plagued her most of her life.
The next years were spent in a variety of jobs among which were MTT telephone operator (much later she still knew all the area codes which then matched real areas) and working in the media library at UNB.
Then in 1976 came an opportunity to move London, England, where she found a job at Harrods department store when it was owned by the House of Fraser, long before its present troubles.
After three years Adele returned to Canada and settled in another London (Ontario) to attend the University of Western Ontario. She graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Geography having included Computer Science courses along the way.
With her new degree, Adele was hired by Dalhousie University's Academic Computing Services and was tasked with setting up a computer lab on the Carleton campus. While the job was satisfying, she really wanted to be a system administrator, so in 1987 when a position opened in that group she applied and was successful. There she worked until 2002. Those years did not pass uneventfully.
On February 16, 1990, Adele and Aidan were married, just six weeks after Adele had asked him if he would and he had replied "maybe". It was a whirlwind of wedding preparation built on a two-year foundation of long walks, winter and summer visits to a variety of Nova Scotia beaches, and canoeing on West Lake in Mount Uniacke listening for baby beavers in a lodge.
In addition to her technical skills, Adele enjoyed cooking (our kitchen is overflowing with cookbooks). I was a very limited cook, but as we cooked together from the beginning of our relationship (starting with banana fritters I believe) she has upgraded my capability greatly. Speaking of books, Adele was an avid mystery reader and has several "complete works" collections by favourite authors that she re-reads regularly. Adele made sure we always had a Kliban cat calendar to go along with our real cats, April (1990-2013) and Abigail (2003-2022) who both would only sleep on Adele's lap, never mine. Every year until COVID, we would have an "at home" on Boxing Day, preceded by some times frantic vacuuming, preparation of cakes and a plethora of side dishes. We often were not ready when the first visitors arrived, but they took this in stride and stepped in to help. Adele was also an inveterate catalogue shopper despite not infrequent frustrations by poor customer service (offset by instances of excellence).
Adele suffered from depression most of her life. She responded to medications with a possible side effect of weight gain by gaining weight. Starting about 2012 she began to feel the effects of deconditioning due to age and lack of exercise. She progressed from cane to walker to a power wheelchair that could be folded and put in the car, so we were still able on occasion to go for day trips. An annual event, which we were able to accomplish this year although really too late in the season, was a tour down Highway 103 to look at lupins growing in the median.
On Valentine's Day, 2023 Adele had a fall, broke her right ankle, cracked the left, and spent ten stressful and unhappy weeks in hospital. Then this year, on August 23, she was admitted for treatment of an infected pressure sore on her right foot. On October 5 she was happy to be back in her own home.
Adele was predeceased by her parents and sister, Penelope Carruthers "Penny". She is survived by her husband, Aidan; sisters, Diane Nolet (Tonnie), Chris (Kim), and Annemarie; and brothers, Pat (Claudette), Peter, Jamie, Anthony "Tony Manuge'', and Dennis (Tracy).
Funeral Mass will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday, November 19, in Saint Agnes Catholic Church (corner of Chebucto and Mumford) followed by reception and (inclement weather not interfering) burial in Saint Philip Neri Cemetery, West Petpeswick.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Arimathea Funeral Cooperative.
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