It is with great sadness that we wish to share with you the peaceful passing of Olive Augusta Fudge, 91 of Lewisporte, on November 14th at the Lionel Kelland Hospice in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Predeceased by her husband, Ralph of 71 years, her mother, Grace; father Augustus Tilley; stepdad Fred Randall; brothers, Scott and Frank; stepbrothers, Gus and Jack Tilly, brothers in law, Bob Noble, Terry Crewe and Eric Randall; granddaughter, Alicia and her niece Diane Noble.

Left to mourn are her nine children: Cecil (Carolann), Cynthia (Keith), Dennis (Donna), Shirley (Mike),Tony (Violet), Peter, Craig (Lynn), Barbara (Cyril), and Rob (Rosalind); 21 grand children, 35 great grandchildren along with sisters: Greta (Warrick), Mabel (Ralph), Joan (Amos) and Elsie Crewe. She will be lovingly remembered by her nieces and nephews and other extended family members, and not forgetting her many friends, especially those at Pleasantview Manor in Lewisporte.

Olive would definitely tell you that it wasn’t “all roses” raising 6 boy and 3 girls by herself, most of the time, with Ralph working away and when he was home he continued to work, to make a good living for his wife and children. More then once, she took on the role of mom and dad, disciplining when she had to!

She was an awesome cook, and a baker, especially apple pies! Her kindness for her family and others was unreal, even thought the table was full, there was always room for one more! She would say, “it’s only another potato in the pot!”

Olive was an accountant and a banker who could split a penny many ways. She was a gardener working alongside ralph… planting carrot, onions, beets, potatoes and other veggies. She loved her flowers, whether she had them planted outside or inside and loved to receive flowers as a gift. She could knit (many baby outfits and sweaters), quilt making, rug hooking and other roles.

Olive loved her drives over to Lewisporte especially to visit the girls at Home Hardware to pick up some nails for “Fadder”, numerous cans of paint or toilet bowl cleaner. This culd be three times a day, didn’t matter…… any reason to drive over there. She was disappointed when she was unable to drive her vehicle safely over to Lewisporte. The family felt it was their responsibility to hide the keys!

Every Saturday was a ritual of going over to Lewisporte for Kentucky fried chicken for supper.

Not only did she love her vegetable and flower garden, her love for the outdoors did not go unnoticed, whether it was in the boat with Ralph or on family outings down on one of the islands or going over in the woods while Ralph was cutting firewood for the winter. Of course there’s always a fire which she fed with tree tops and an occasional kettle went on the fire for a boil up.

She loved snowmobiling, especially when the family came to visit. She also loved to snowshoe. Many times, she walked across Stanhope Harbour on her snowshoes to check on Ralph and perhaps bring him a glass of milk while they were over cutting firewood.

Her love for berry picking was unreal, especially partridge berries, strawberries and bakeapple picking when she visited on the Burin Peninsula. Her and Ralph loved to visit coastal communities especially their native homes of Brighton and Nipper’s Harbour. There was always a meal involved while they drove on the highway and somewhere they had to stop for an ice-cream cone.

The family remembers Olive curled up in the chair by her woodstove, perhaps half asleep while listening to conversations among the family or having a nap while Ralph watched many of his much-loved television shows.

The past year has been a struggle for Olive since the passing of her lifetime mate, Ralph. Her general health declined. Olive spent an additional 13 months at Pleasantview Manor in Lewisporte, which she considered home after Ralph’s passing. All the staff were her friends and it was the place that she felt most comfortable.

The last three weeks of her life she was privileged to be a patient at Lionel Kelland Hospice in Grand Falls. Dr. John Campbell and his staff are renown for their dedication to the comfort of people who are travelling their end-of-life journey. They provided continuous care, respect and dignity to Olive and her family.

A quote that is very fitting as “We the children of Ralph and Olive bring them together in their final resting place”.

When we lose our parents, Life is never the same. Their absence creates a space that nothing else can fill. We can no longer be children in the way we once were, running in their arms, hearing the warm words of encouragement or feeling the strength of an embrace. Their love was a shield, a constant source of comfort and guidance and when it is gone the world feels heavier and harder to navigate. Even as adults with families of our own, a part of us remains that little child longing for a parents embrace. We carry their faces; their voices and their love etched into our hearts forever.

Though we must now stand on our own, their legacy lives on in every breath and choice we make reminding us they are gone from sight but never from our hearts.

A private family service with be held at a later date for Olive and her husband Ralph who passed away July 5th, 2024.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Lionel Kelland Hospice.