Janet Gray

Gray - Janet Elaine (née Asseltine)

Born in Halifax on May 31, 1937, passed away peacefully on Sunday evening of August 28th at May Court Hospice Ottawa South

For those who knew her well, she was a beautiful person in many ways. She liked to be among people she knew, she liked to tell stories of past events with a sharp mind for details. She was a writer of short stories that left one with a moral message.

She was also a painter using oils, watercolours and pastels leaving both large, medium and small images of people, places and things. She especially loved the artic from spending spring, summer and fall at wilderness sites north, west and south of Rankin Inlet, now part of Nunavut.

She spent time at a wilderness lodge in Wager Bay some miles north of Rankin Inlet, where she encountered caribou close up and polar bears at a safe distance. She took time to study the short-lived artic flora that carpeted the tundra landscape during the summer and fall. She captured the children of this area dogsledding, skating, playing hockey and ice fishing., which were made into Christmas cards that now reside at homes both in North America and abroad.

She airlifted a husky female named Hannah to Manotick that resided for many years inside near the kitchen door. Hannah only answered to Janet despite efforts to obtain her favour by others. She loved that dog.

She played a mean game of Bridge with friends in Manotick and also accumulated not a small amount of dollars playing cribbage with her husband David during cold winter evenings at home.

She kept a tidy house despite less than tidy habits of the rest of the family.

She is survived by her husband David; daughter Carolyn Boivin (Bill) and son Dylan Gray.

Loving grandmother of Kevin Boivin (Jenna), Marie Hill (Graham) and Renee Vokey (Mark); great grandmother of Landon, Brie, Mackenzie, Finley, Oliver, Blake and Cohen.

Sister-in-Law to Robert Gray of Halifax and Aunt to Debbie (Lake) Trevelyan of Toronto and Anna Gray (Dartmouth)

She loved to collect photos of these children which were lovingly displayed through the house and on the kitchen fridge.

Her husband David says he has lost his very best friend married for 61 years and misses her dearly.

Funeral service will be held at the Kars Chapel of Tubman Funeral Homes, 1610 Roger Stevens Dr., Kars on Saturday, September 3rd at 11 a.m.  Those wishing may make memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Hospice at May Court.