Peach (Bert), Lorraine “Lovey” – On Saturday, July 24, 2021, our beautiful wife, mother, sister and grandmother passed away peacefully in Oakwood Terrace Nursing Home, Dartmouth, with her husband of 62 years by her side.
Born in Reserve Mines, Cape Breton, in 1938, Lorraine was the daughter of the late Fred and Hazel (Ward) Bert.
Lorraine leaves behind her husband, Bob Peach, Dartmouth; daughter, Debbie Johnstone (Mike), Dartmouth; son, Bobby Peach (Charmaine), Enfield, CT, USA; and daughter, Sandy Marriott (John), Dartmouth; grandchildren, Dawn Logan, Robert E. Peach (Lauren), Miranda Peach, Benjamin Marriott (Kandace), and Nicholas Marriott; three great-grandchildren; three step-grandchildren, and three step-great-grandchildren, whom she loved to mind or take on adventures; brothers, Harry Bert, Centerville, CB; Cecil Bert (Jackie), Reserve Mines, CB; and William Bert (Carl), White Rock, BC; several nieces, nephews and extended family and friends will also deeply miss her.
Lorraine had loving memories of her family and upbringing on Cape Breton Island. As the first-born girl on her father's side of the family, she got the royal treatment. She loved to talk about the joys of growing up in her quiet, pretty hometown in a slower and gentler era. She was the belle of the ball in high school but she also had a great mind and a big heart. She stood up for underdogs and helped everybody.
Lorraine moved to Dartmouth, at 18. She studied nursing and completed the CNA program through the Nova Scotia Hospital. She began her career there, later moving to Oceanview Nursing Home in Eastern Passage. She worked full-time for 47 years in mental health and geriatrics. She was devoted to her patients and thought nothing of going to work in blizzards to take care of them.
When she married Bob, she became part of his extended family. She embraced their cheerful lifestyle and the scenic landscapes of central Nova Scotia. Summer vacations were often spent camping in West Petpeswick with clam boils and uproarious card games. Another memorable spot was Camelot Campground in Kentville, where they joined other families who gathered there together for decades. Her son, Bobby met his wife, Charmaine there at the age of 17 years. He likes to say that Camelot was so idyllic; Bryan Adams would have written a song about it if he had ever gone there.
Holiday get-togethers and meals were never dull. She would laugh with us, cry with us and tell us we were loved or being annoying. She was a fantastic, home-style cook. Her turkey dinners are legendary, especially the gravy and stuffing. There was always a plate of home-baked peanut butter or sugar cookies or lemon squares in the kitchen. However, she ran a tight ship. The kids all had chores that were tracked on the kitchen calendar with an eagle eye.
The Toronto Blue Jays were her favorite baseball team. She kept her own score, asking Bob to get her scorecards at the sports store. She rarely missed a game. Lorraine loved to read, and could not put a good book down. She had an intelligent opinion or open-minded curiosity about everything. She loved to garden in her flowerbeds and fruit trees. She was artistic and took up many crafts, especially needlework. She always had a project in her lap or by her side.
Heartfelt thanks to the staff at Dartmouth General and Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial Hospital for their professionalism and kindness. A special thank you to the staff of D Unit at Oakwood Terrace Nursing Home for their amazing and loving care. Your compassion to our family will not be forgotten. Cremation has taken place under the direction of Arimathea Funeral Cooperative. Out of respect for Public Health restrictions on gathering and travel, a Celebration of Life will be held at an appropriate, later date.
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