Obituary of Yvonne Sherwood
Mrs. Yvonne Lorna Sherwood was born in Hammondvale, NB on April 11, 1934; she was the daughter of the late Lee and Muriel (Anderson) Mallory. They lived on a farm. Whether it was feeding and watering the animals, milking, collecting eggs etc. they all had chores to do. The kids recall Yvonne telling them how she always helped in making the butter, now her siblings would laugh and joke about how Yvonne got away with more than them and it would always come up at many family conversations sitting around the table.
Yvonne went to school in a one room schoolhouse in Hammondvale, there were no buses so whether it was cold or warm they had to walk. She did not graduate, back then it was more important to work and help family.
After school she went to work in Sussex for various families cleaning and looking after their children, one particular family lived on Church Avenue and every time Yvonne and her family would drive by she would say “I worked and stayed in that house”.
Later she started working at the Sussex Memorial Hospital as a “Nurses Aid”, she worked there until she married a mechanic from Jefferies Corner- Harold Douglas Sherwood (Doug) on February 26, 1955 in Sussex at the age of 20. They started their life together in Jefferies Corner having 4 children and celebrated their love for each other for 38 years until Doug passed away in 1993 at the age of 67.
She attended church on a regular basis, believed in her faith and was always reliable to setup communion, she also was a member of her ACW group.
Some hobbies that she enjoyed were crocheting, she made many blankets and chair covers, she also enjoyed going to ceramic classes.
On the side Doug was a craftsman, he could build anything from cupboards to musical instruments (fiddles and guitars) not only he made his own fiddle but also one for a few family members.
Yvonne and Doug would on occasion build something together (which she loved doing) whether it was a craft item or something larger. They built a couple of playhouses together; one was for their kids when they were young and then another in their older years for the grandchildren.
In later years another hobby that she loved to do was cut clippings from the Kings County Record of people she knew or just different events happening in the area. She did this up until 4 years ago, needless to say there is a lot of albums of clippings remaining to go through. She also loved to work on “Word Find” and spent many hours and went through many books.
Yvonne’s greatest gift was helping others, she would give you the shirt off her back and go without to help someone in need and she showed that many a times. She loved the outdoors and many who passed her house would say “Saw your mom outside today”, when talking to the kids.
She loved music and came from a musical family; she could play the Fiddle, Guitar, Accordion and even the spoons and every weekend there was always a dance or family get togethers of music and dancing. Many times, the kids would come home, and Yvonne would have the fiddle music playing and there she would be dancing in the kitchen. It was funny to see, and she would always find a way to persuade them to join in. Where ever she was and there was fiddle music playing she would be dancing. She loved Halloween, she would always dress up for us kids and tradition was a stuffed man & woman with pumpkin heads sitting outside the door.
Yvonne went on many day trips with her ACW Group on “Nancy Tours” bus, she went to PEI, Nova Scotia and various places around NB. She really enjoyed the girls (sister, Helen; sister-law, Jackie; Yvonne, Carol, Marilyn and Cheryl) would always try to get together in the summer for a day trip to somewhere; whether it was Kings Landing, Saint Andrews etc. they were great days spending time together.
Yvonne did not care for long distance travelling especially if it meant going on an airplane but Doug receiving a gift for retirement did manage to convince her to get on a plane to visit family in Oakville ON. When they were in Toronto and were going to go up the CN Tower, they got in the elevator to go up and just before the doors were going to shut - she jumped out leaving Doug to go up alone. She did not like heights.
As years passed and family members aged, Yvonne would say how she would love to see her brother Harley in Alberta one more time. Her daughters: Cheryl and Carol put the plan in motion and to their surprise she agreed to make the trip by plane. They spent a wonderful time visiting many places from White Court to Jasper and Williams Lake, BC. That trip was the ultimate trip and Yvonne never stopped laughing and smiling…..she got to spend time with her brother and be with family that she hadn’t seen in a long time, she got to do things that never in her lifetime did she dream she would be able to do….she climbed the ice fields, road on a horse again and went up the Rocky Mountains. This trip was a blessing.
Although Yvonne developed Dementia and sometimes couldn’t remember her life’s story it will never end…it will live on in the hearts of her children and grandchildren, the family conversations around the table will always remain a tradition.
Yvonne will live on in the hearts of her children: Wayne Sherwood and his wife Margaret of Apohaqui, Carol Arnold of Newline, Marilyn Sherwood and Gregory Purtill of Grande Prairie and Cheryl Curbishley and her husband Geoff of Wards Creek; her special niece, Brenda Lee Briggs and her husband Mike of Cambridge Narrows; her grandchildren: Aaron Arnold, Colby Arnold and his wife Kate, Chelsey Sherwood-Dunham and her husband Randy, Brandon Sherwood, Darcy Sherwood, Mitchell Purtill and Danielle Moffett and Shelby Purtill; her great grandchildren: Sophia, Kristina, Brett. Sawyer, Blair, Kenzie and Alexandria; her sisters-in-law: Jackie Mallory of Newline, Kaye Mallory of Saint John, Mona Mallory of ON and Bernadine “Bunny” Sherwood of Sussex; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Yvonne Lorna Sherwood of Sussex passed away at the Kiwanis Nursing Home on February 4, 2020 at the age of 85.
Along with her parents, she is predeceased by her husband, Douglas Sherwood; her brothers: Hartley (Helen), Kenneth (Bernice), George, Cyril, David (Sarah) and Bernard Mallory and by her sister, Helen (Roy); her son-in-law, Jim Arnold and by her grandson, Blake Sherwood.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the compassionate care of Wallace Funeral Home, 34 Sunnyside Drive, Sussex, (506-433-1176) where visitation will be held on Saturday, February 8, 2020 from 2-4 and 6-8pm.
A service celebrating Yvonne’s life will be held from St. Mark's Anglican Church on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 2:00pm.
If you are considering making a memorial donation the family has recommended Alzheimer’s Society or a charity of the donor’s choice. Condolences to the family and donations may be made through WallaceFuneralHome.com.