Mrs. Avis Myrtle Leiper was born in Tabisuntac, NB on May 1, 1915. She was the daughter of the late George and Velma (Robertson) MacCallum. Her family moved to Plaster Rock when she was 12 years old. She attended Donald Frasier Memorial School in Grade 11. Her mother had become ill and she had to quit school to help out at home. When her mother got better she worked at several stores in Plaster Rock and Perth-Andover. She also worked for Brother and Sister Rolston for several years where she learned many things from the Word of God. The Rolston's had a great influence on her life. In 1942 a group of friends moved to Saint John with Avis to find work. There, at the home of the Fawcett's she met Whitney Leiper. They were married on March 29, 1943. They lived in Saint John for a bit and then back to Plaster Rock where her son Allen was born in 1948 and then her daughter Velma in 1953. She loved being a mother. When they got older, many a night Allen came home late to find him mom watching by the window for him. She prayed with and for her children and continued to do so right to the end. Through her years in Plaster Rock she became very involved in her church. Along with her home and family it was her very life. She played piano, organ and saxophone. She was a Sunday school teacher and Sunday school secretary and treasurer for many years. She directed the choir and was the producer of all the Christmas and Easter plays. She said she always told her performers that "We are going to do this right or not at all". She was meticulous in everything she did in her life. Church was her life and she loved the Lord with every fiber of her being. When asked what her greatest accomplishment in life was, she VERY quickly replied that it was being a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother and a homemaker. She took pride in her home and she was an excellent cook. She loved to entertain. All were welcome at her table and OH the meals she would cook. There were many preachers, Bible School students and many others, including numerous young people who passed through the doors of the Leiper home. She was a mentor for many young people. She had a gentle way of listening and giving Godly advice. They moved to Sussex, NB in 1968 where she lived for 27 years. Allen met and married Shirley McLean in 1970 and Velma met and married Allan MacKinnon in 1973. They were both welcomed into the family and made to feel like they were always part of the family. Then along came the grandchildren; Gregory in 1971, Natalie in 1973 and David in 1976. Avis and Whitney loved their grandchildren very dearly. Avis was widowed in July of 1981 and she managed by herself until July of 1994 when she moved to Saint John, NB. Then the great grandchildren started arriving over a span of ten years. Taylor came first followed by Allyson, Bradley, Noah, Connor, Alexander, Jayden and Maxim. She loved her family. She was very proud of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved those little ones and got a great chuckle out of their antics. She said she was blessed with 95 happy and fairly healthy years. She was ready to go home to be with her Lord and to meet all those who had gone before her. Her race has been run and the victory is finally hers. She will be sadly missed by all. Her one request to those left behind was this "Read the Word, hide it in your hearts, and love God with all your heart, mind, and soul" and she will be waiting to see you in Glory someday. May God richly bless the great heritage she has left behind for her family. She will be forever in our memory and our heart. Avis is survived by her children: George Allen Leiper and his wife Shirley of Sussex and Velma Loretta MacKinnon and her husband Allan of Saint John; her grandchildren: Gregory Leiper and his wife Angie of Midland, Natalie Gionet and her husband Ron of Sussex; David MacKinnon and his wife Mandy of Saint John; her great grandchildren: Taylor and Noah Leiper, Allyson, Bradley and Connor Leiper, Alexander, Jayden and Maxim MacKinnon; her brother, Donald R. MacCallum and his wife Glenneth of Saint John; her sisters, Josie Christophersen of Perth-Andover, NB and Mabel Eagles of Plaster Rock, NB; as well as several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brothers: Arthur Neal and George MacCallum. Mrs. Avis Myrtle Leiper of Saint John passed away at the Saint John Regional Hospital on July 15, 2010 at the age of 95.