Phyllis Earle

My sincere condolences go to my cousins; Paul Gregory, Stephen & Philip. Both my husband(Ulrich) and I enjoyed luncheons and outings with your Mom, who was always a lot of fun to be around. Your memories of Phyllis are forever.

One of many precious moments

As the oldest surviving son, I thought it fitting that I be among the first
to 'sign in'....with my deepest apologies to Mom/Nanny
for forgetting to include my four children, her dear grandchildren,
Paul (Mexico City), Katia (Montreal), Madeleine, and Camille
(San Antonio) and their mothers, Rosy (Puebla, Mx), and Sheila
(San Antonio)...oops!

Watching, participating as life cycles...Mom, putting on my
'pre-verbal' pale green booties in Halifax, as my 'Nanny', Ida Mary,
watched on...Mom knitting, Chris, Stephen, Philip and myself cardigan
sweaters, then later in Alberta 'Irish Knits'...baking fresh 'after school
cookies' almost daily, and on the days she hadn't it was because she had
baked us fresh pies...mince meat, apple, lemon meringue...
it was said that her pie crust was the best, her meringue the lightest ...
an apt metaphor for Lady Mom herself.
Birthday cakes, Christmas cakes, ice box cookies, gifts, wrappings,
never a birthday or occasion forgotten...and each day an occasion, breakfast
and dinner tables served with linen, serviettes and Mom's love.

I moved to Toronto, then Mexico, then to San Antonio...
'Nanny' and 'Grandpa Jack' always present and 'up for it'...whether squeezing into my two-seater with Rosy, Paul and Katia on a six hour drive from our home in Puebla to Acapulco for a school holiday, laughing while fretting that Mexicans drove dangerously close, or a walk through yet another of Mexico's markets. Always a lover of flowers, and amazed at our hibiscus hedge, 'Nanny' planted a small fuschia bougainvillea in our garden...
today as I write this, Nanny's bougainvillea covers almost all of the 3 meter high walls
around the garden in Puebla...the most beautiful of all.

Later married with Sheila in San Antonio, Nanny and Grandpa became our permanent
winter 'Snow Birds', living a few winter months each year in the guesthouse. Nanny
'mothering', Madeleine especially, both searching each morning to share an early morning swim
followed by a girl's breakfast in the guesthouse. Christmas and New Years had an extra
life as Paul and Katia joined us from Mexico...Nanny's arms somehow always elongating
another meter or more to squeeze one more grandchild into her hug...
at times 'Jeanie and Paul' would be around adding yet another dimension to the gaiety...
like our famous outing to the Café des Artistes in Puerto Vallarta, chosen for Mom;
the chef astounding us, each dish so visually beautiful that only the pleasure of
eating justified breaking the maestro's compositions. Paul stood on his chair photographing
each dish placed before him. We all agreed it was the best restaurant meal of our lives...

I moved to the south of France and then to Monaco...children and family left behind.
Nanny and I spoke at least once each week of nothing really, life's little routines,
wiggles and niggles...life itself.

Then in her last weeks our conversations changed as we opened 'skeleton closets'
and laughed at how Pandora's Box held nothing of great import after all.
Love is Love.

Nanny passed sound of mind, in good emotional health, without pain, or debts
-emotional or otherwise. May we all live long enough to learn her lessons.

Four loving sons, six loving grandchildren, like her bougainvillea warm lovely
testaments to a life shared with Grandpa Jack and all of us lucky enough
to be her family.

Special thanks to Stephen and Philip in their active roles in Mom's/Nanny's affairs.though distances are great, their light shines bright...wavicles each.


As the oldest surviving son, I thought it fitting that I be among the first
to 'sign in'....with my deepest apologies to Mom/Nanny
for forgetting to include my four children, her dear grandchildren,
Paul (Mexico City), Katia (Montreal), Madeleine, and Camille
(San Antonio) and their mothers, Rosy (Puebla, Mx), and Sheila
(San Antonio)...oops!

Watching, participating as life cycles...Mom, putting on my
'pre-verbal' pale green booties in Halifax, as my 'Nanny', Ida Mary,
watched on...Mom knitting, Chris, Stephen, Philip and myself cardigan
sweaters, then later in Alberta 'Irish Knits'...baking fresh 'after school
cookies' almost daily, and on the days she hadn't it was because she had
baked us fresh pies...mince meat, apple, lemon meringue...
it was said that her pie crust was the best, her meringue the lightest ...
an apt metaphor for Lady Mom herself.
Birthday cakes, Christmas cakes, ice box cookies, gifts, wrappings,
never a birthday or occasion forgotten...and each day an occasion, breakfast
and dinner tables served with linen, serviettes and Mom's love.

I moved to Toronto, then Mexico, then to San Antonio...
'Nanny' and 'Grandpa Jack' always present and 'up for it'...whether squeezing into my two-seater with Rosy, Paul and Katia on a six hour drive from our home in Puebla to Acapulco for a school holiday, laughing while fretting that Mexicans drove dangerously close, or a walk through yet another of Mexico's markets. Always a lover of flowers, and amazed at our hibiscus hedge, 'Nanny' planted a small fuschia bougainvillea in our garden...
today as I write this, Nanny's bougainvillea covers almost all of the 3 meter high walls
around the garden in Puebla...the most beautiful of all.

Later married with Sheila in San Antonio, Nanny and Grandpa became our permanent
winter 'Snow Birds', living a few winter months each year in the guesthouse. Nanny
'mothering', Madeleine especially, both searching each morning to share an early morning swim
followed by a girl's breakfast in the guesthouse. Christmas and New Years had an extra
life as Paul and Katia joined us from Mexico...Nanny's arms somehow always elongating
another meter or more to squeeze one more grandchild into her hug...
at times 'Jeanie and Paul' would be around adding yet another dimension to the gaiety...
like our famous outing to the Café des Artistes in Puerto Vallarta, chosen for Mom;
the chef astounding us, each dish so visually beautiful that only the pleasure of
eating justified breaking the maestro's compositions. Paul stood on his chair photographing
each dish placed before him. We all agreed it was the best restaurant meal of our lives...

I moved to the south of France and then to Monaco...children and family left behind.
Nanny and I spoke at least once each week of nothing really, life's little routines,
wiggles and niggles...life itself.

Then in her last weeks our conversations changed as we opened 'skeleton closets'
and laughed at how Pandora's Box held nothing of great import after all.
Love is Love.

Nanny passed sound of mind, in good emotional health, without pain, or debts
-emotional or otherwise. May we all live long enough to learn her lessons.

Four loving sons, six loving grandchildren, like her bougainvillea warm lovely
testaments to a life shared with Grandpa Jack and all of us lucky enough
to be her family.

Special thanks to Stephen and Philip in their active roles in Mom's/Nanny's affairs.though distances are great, their light shines bright...wavicles each.


As the oldest surviving son, I thought it fitting that I be among the first
to 'sign in'....with my deepest apologies to Mom/Nanny
for forgetting to include my four children, her dear grandchildren,
Paul (Mexico City), Katia (Montreal), Madeleine, and Camille
(San Antonio) and their mothers, Rosy (Puebla, Mx), and Sheila
(San Antonio)...oops!

Watching, participating as life cycles...Mom, putting on my
'pre-verbal' pale green booties in Halifax, as my 'Nanny', Ida Mary,
watched on...Mom knitting, Chris, Stephen, Philip and myself cardigan
sweaters, then later in Alberta 'Irish Knits'...baking fresh 'after school
cookies' almost daily, and on the days she hadn't it was because she had
baked us fresh pies...mince meat, apple, lemon meringue...
it was said that her pie crust was the best, her meringue the lightest ...
an apt metaphor for Lady Mom herself.
Birthday cakes, Christmas cakes, ice box cookies, gifts, wrappings,
never a birthday or occasion forgotten...and each day an occasion, breakfast
and dinner tables served with linen, serviettes and Mom's love.

I moved to Toronto, then Mexico, then to San Antonio...
'Nanny' and 'Grandpa Jack' always present and 'up for it'...whether squeezing into my two-seater with Rosy, Paul and Katia on a six hour drive from our home in Puebla to Acapulco for a school holiday, laughing while fretting that Mexicans drove dangerously close, or a walk through yet another of Mexico's markets. Always a lover of flowers, and amazed at our hibiscus hedge, 'Nanny' planted a small fuschia bougainvillea in our garden...
today as I write this, Nanny's bougainvillea covers almost all of the 3 meter high walls
around the garden in Puebla...the most beautiful of all.

Later married with Sheila in San Antonio, Nanny and Grandpa became our permanent
winter 'Snow Birds', living a few winter months each year in the guesthouse. Nanny
'mothering', Madeleine especially, both searching each morning to share an early morning swim
followed by a girl's breakfast in the guesthouse. Christmas and New Years had an extra
life as Paul and Katia joined us from Mexico...Nanny's arms somehow always elongating
another meter or more to squeeze one more grandchild into her hug...
at times 'Jeanie and Paul' would be around adding yet another dimension to the gaiety...
like our famous outing to the Café des Artistes in Puerto Vallarta, chosen for Mom;
the chef astounding us, each dish so visually beautiful that only the pleasure of
eating justified breaking the maestro's compositions. Paul stood on his chair photographing
each dish placed before him. We all agreed it was the best restaurant meal of our lives...

I moved to the south of France and then to Monaco...children and family left behind.
Nanny and I spoke at least once each week of nothing really, life's little routines,
wiggles and niggles...life itself.

Then in her last weeks our conversations changed as we opened 'skeleton closets'
and laughed at how Pandora's Box held nothing of great import after all.
Love is Love.

Nanny passed sound of mind, in good emotional health, without pain, or debts
-emotional or otherwise. May we all live long enough to learn her lessons.

Four loving sons, six loving grandchildren, like her bougainvillea warm lovely
testaments to a life shared with Grandpa Jack and all of us lucky enough
to be her family.

Special thanks to Stephen and Philip in their active roles in Mom's/Nanny's affairs.though distances are great, their light shines bright...wavicles each.