Thursday, September 30, 2021
Dear Friends,
I was saddened to read about Eroy's passing. My condolences to all his friends and his group home family.
The writer of the obituary was unaware of Eroy's early life, specifically his years in Campbellton. The lab where I worked in the 1970's was renting space in the old Provincial Hospital (now Restigouche Hospital Centre) in Campbellton. I used to visit the residents in the wards, and I got to know some of the residents, including Eroy. He was in his twenties to early thirties when he was there. With permission, I would take him for drives and to various events in Campbellton. If I wasn't availalble, he had no trouble finding his way to town. He was a publicity seeker who loved to meet and be photographed with local polititions and dignitaries, before the days of cellphones and selfies. Some of those pictures appeared in the local papers, and Eroy loved that. I remember a hospital variety show for residents and staff, in which I participated. Eroy sang "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", unaccompanied and with complete falsetto. I was amazed - it was the only time I heard him sing. I once asked Eroy where he came from. He said that he was born in Moncton, and at an early age he went to the Roberts Hospital School in Saint John - a residential school for special needs children - now closed. He was at Centracare before going to Campbellton. In 1979 the lab was moved to another hospital, and I saw less of Eroy. In the early 80's, all of the long term residents were moved out of the hospital and into group homes. Eroy was transferred to a group home on a farm in Penobsquis.. He kept in touch for a while, and I visited him several times when I happened to be in Southern NB. I invited him to my wedding in 1988, and a staff member was kind enought to bring him to Campbellton for the wedding, an exciting event for Eroy. It was probably the last time he visited Campbellton. My last visit with Eroy was with my husband and infant son in the summer of 1991, when Eroy lived in a supervised apartment in Sussex Corner. I lost touch with him after that, and often wondered what happened to him. For me, it was the start of a long association with special needs youth and young adults, including my own son, now 30, who has Asperger's Syndrome, and his best friend. I also coached a Special Olympics swimming group for many years, ending with the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.
I am thankful that Eroy found a community of good friends who were family to him, loved him, and were with him at the end.
RIP Eroy.
Nancy Scott-Langille, Tide Head, NB
