I t is with sadness we announce the passing of our Aunt, Roberta (Bertie) May White on May 29, 2023. She was 92 years old. The youngest of seven children born to Gladys and Joseph White, Phinney Cove, Nova Scotia, she is predeceased by her siblings and their spouses Edward (Joyce) White, Bridgetown Delma (Jack) Eldred, Niagara Falls, ON, Doris (Emdon) Hamilton, Bridgetown, Gloria (Laurie) Refuse, Middleton, Frank (Marjorie) White, Clarence, Merlyn (Glen) Niinep, St Catherines, ON and three nephews: Randall White, Bridgetown, John Eldred, Niagara Falls, and Peter Rafuse, Middleton.

She is survived by Nieces Susan (Walter) Weaver, Niagara on the Lake, ON, Rosalie (Kenny) Gale, Clarence, Rhonda (Brian) Freeman, Greenwood, NS, Debbie White, Bridgetown, NS, Wendy (Reigh) Hewey Bridgetown NS, Trudy White, Bridgetown, NS, and Nephews Joseph (Lori) Eldred, Wasaga Beach, ON, Robert (Debbie) White, Halifax, NS and many great nieces and nephews.

The way she liked to tell it, on the day she was born she was put in a box and left on a shelf for dead while the doctor tried to help her mother until crying from the box alerted the doctor of his error… she did like a good story…both Mother and baby were fine.

Roberta began her career as a teacher in a one room schoolhouse in Phinney Cove and retired as Head of Audits, Atlantic Region for the Bank of Montreal. A position she remembered fondly and proudly.

Among her many interests was a love of music and specifically the organ (pump and electric), but she also played Piano, Guitar, and Violin. She enjoyed Opera and insisted that seeing the live stream performances from the Metropolitan Opera in New York shown at the local cinema, were better than being there in person. She was a charter member of the Annapolis Valley Centre RCCO ( Royal Canadien College of Organists ) where she also acted as archivist.

History was another passion. She championed the protection of heritage properties and was quick to voice objection should one be in danger of destruction. Her bookshelves were laden with history books and was particularly interested in preserving our Nova Scotia stories. She was a member of the James House Society, The Electric City Society and the Royal Nova Scotian Historical Society.

Roberta was a generous patron to more charities than can be listed, but she took particular interest in her Foster Children through Save the Children.

Well versed in politics, current affairs and the Toronto Maple Leafs, she read the Chronicle Herald from cover to cover most every day of her life, keeping her mind sharp by solving all the puzzles within. She also had a fondness for clipping articles to be filed in her endless and beloved series of brown envelopes, many stored in what some might call a kitchen, but she considered an extra-large filing cabinet.

While she never bragged about her cooking skills, Roberta loved to entertain - hosting a yearly party in support of the Phinney Cove Baptist Church at her home in Phinney Cove (Pot Luck preferred), or watching a parade from her verandah in Bridgetown. She enjoyed the company of old and new friends at the local Rug Hooking Group. Once when being reprimanded by her nephew for not using the crosswalk to cross the street, she quickly informed him that she was a hooker and could cross the street anywhere she pleased.

She loved to travel and quickly accepted when invited to join the Halifax Board of Trade on an excursion to Europe in the late Seventies. She made several subsequent trips to Europe and loved visiting friends in Germany. Throughout her life she enjoyed spending time with her family both here in Nova Scotia and in Niagara Falls/St Catherines where she travelled as often as possible. In her retirement, she spent many winter months in Niagara Falls/St Catherines with her sisters, attending every dance and social event held on the Niagara Peninsula.

Roberta was Incredibly social and had a wide circle of friends. She enjoyed playing cards at home as much as she enjoyed attending concerts, but nothing made her happier than to tell a story that would make her friends and family laugh. She was one of a kind and she will be missed by many.

There will be a funeral service 2:00 pm Monday, June 5, 2023 in Hampton Baptist Church with Pastor Herb Anderson officiating with a private family burial in Hampton Cemetery.

In Lieu of flowers, donations in Roberta's memory may be made to the Hampton Cemetery at Hampton Cemetery 2019 Hampton Mountain Rd., B0S 1L0 Or, to the charity of your choice.

"The world is crazy except me and thee and sometimes I wonder about thee"

Rest in Peace Aunt Bertie