Irene Bridget GORDON-SPROULE

My mom was bor n in September 20, 1922 with the name of Irene Bridget Reardon. She was born on the Rock. The Rock is also known as Newfoundland which is on the right coast on the little Island of Fogo Island just south of Joe Batts Arm and north of Sandy Cove. Or Tilting Fogo. Newfoundland was actually found by the famous sailor from China, Zing Who. Zing was lured to Newfoundland around 1431 which is a year and not like 2:31pm. The Chinese and the Norsemen and others were probably lured to Newfoundland by the scent of fish. Since all the Chinese found was Cod they promptly left. It was the Irish who inhabited Fogo especially the Reardon's from around the year 1750. Unlike the English they stayed on the Island and dried the Cod on Tilts then shipped the Cod back to Ireland to feed the hungr y. The settlement where mom resided was named the first heritage site in Canada. My Mom received her education near Bishops Falls in a Convent for the Sisters of Mercy. Mom attained her Teaching degree from Memorial University in ST. John's Newfoundland then decided Ontario needed her ser vices. Mom was a Newfoundland Pioneer and led a hoard of Newfoundlanders to the Promised Land known as Toronto Ontario. Then in 1949 she garnered a position in Sudbury Ontario as a school teacher. Irene's picture was posted in the local paper to introduce her to the Sudbury community and that is where Jack Gordon first saw his bride to be. Jack was introduced to Irene by my Aunt Edie who was also a school teacher in Sudbury and Jack and Irene where soon married. Jack and Irene were married for 27 years and had 5 boys. Joseph Reardon, Thomas Martin, William Michael, Donald Albert, and John Patrick Gordon. All blue eyed and about one year apart in age. When Jack met the implacable fate of dying it was in Kelowna B.C. on the left coast and mom married again at the age of 65 to John D. Sproule to whom she was married another 20 years. My mother was a very generous person and you never knew who was going to be at the dinner table when you arrived. Irene was forever entertaining strangers and wayfarers and treating them as family. She lived by the Okanagan lake in Kelowna by the beach access out in the Mission which she watched like a hawk for young men down on their luck. She would gather a tray of goodies on a silver platter and casually approach them and ask if they were hungry. Irene was a gourmet cook who was hard to say no to. After feeding the young man she would often give the young man a small job to do. One day a neighbor came to the house and stood at the door and said 'Irene. I have been listening to the Police scanner all week and you have to stop bringing home strays!' 'Why.' Said Mom. 'That guy you keep saving is actually an undercover Cop. His superiors are asking him what is going on. And he says that you keep trying to feed him.' My Mom was a beautiful person and my Dad was a kind intelligent and tacit man . Now both are gone. Late at night, when all is quiet I go outside and raise my hand to the heavens and try to catch something of their souls. but I cannot. So my arm falls to my side. When I look at my hand it is usually wet and I say to myself, 'My hand is not wet due to the grief but it's simply another Ontario raindrop'. I hope God is in his heaven and He has the gumption to open the door for Mom and have a pot of tea ready with ample goodies for a good hearted Canadian, or Woe betide Him. Irene died in Kelowna B.C. on August 25 2008.