Obituary for Elsie May Bragg

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Life Story for Elsie May Bragg

"I met Elsie Bragg more than 40 years ago, and I would like to tell you about how she enriched my life, and became my second mother.

My connection with Elsie Bragg began in the winter of 1970, when I visited Greenspond for the first time. I was warmly welcomed by the Bragg family, and found out afterwards that Elsie had spent some time preparing for my visit, with a pot of soup, stair mats put away, an electric blanket for my bed, and her good dishes out. And when, despite all that comfort, I still got sick, I was treated to as fine a cold remedy as one could ever have (warm molasses and butter, with a secret ingredient which I'm sure couldn't have been legal, that must have been meant to shock the sickness right out of you!)

Something must have clicked with me and the Braggs, because I kept coming back - by ferry, by small boat from Shamblers Cove, or by having a nice winter stroll on the harbor ice from Pool's Island.

After Don Bragg and I married in 1972, my parents made a couple of trips to Greenspond. They really got along well with Reg and Elsie Bragg – they played cards and socialized - but the highlight of each trip, and for each Christmas afterwards, wherever we were, was the fruit cake Elsie was so well known for. My father called it “Elsie Cake”, and he demanded we save some for him every Christmas until his death.

Things changed for Elsie in 1973 when Reg Bragg passed away, far too young. Elsie was totally numbed by his death, but when she was able to, she put her entire focus on her family. Grandchildren came, beginning in December of that same year, first Reg, so proudly named after his grandfather, then Sherri, Mark, Jennifer, Jodie, and Paul all within six years, then Matthew, the youngest, several years later. We often gathered at Elsie's home, and her delight in having all her family around was obvious. She always knew where each grandchild was at any given moment, and she always had time to talk to them, read stories, play cards or Bingo, and give them snacks and the ever-present coins and $5.00 bills. She was the first one up on Sunday mornings, making sure that they had breakfast. None of the grandchildren were fortunate enough to know their grandfather Bragg, but they all dearly loved their Nan. And as they grew, she maintained a loving presence in their lives. They were always quick to point out whose house she had spent Christmas at each year, and whose turn it was next!

When Don's and my children were 8 and 11, I received the most unwelcome news that my mother was seriously ill. I'll never forget Elsie's words when I told her - “I'll be there for you”, she said. And she was. As I made numerous trips to Halifax during my mother's illness, Elsie would help Don, Mark and Paul in every way she could – making meals, babysitting, tidying the house - so that when I came back physically and emotionally exhausted there was no need to catch up on housework or anything else – I just went back to work as usual, until the next trip. Then when my mother passed away in 1989, and again when my father passed away three years later, she was there to help with her grandchildren.

The Bragg family was thrown into another very sorrowful time with the sudden death of Gary Best in 1997. Again Elsie threw her attention to her family, supporting Joan and her daughters as best she could. Everyone had been looking forward to the upcoming Come Home Year celebrations, with Gar having been a driving force behind the building of a new patio in the front of Elsie's house. Sadly, Gar didn't get the opportunity to take part in the celebrations for Come Home Year, but the patio was full nearly all that summer, with many extended family members and visitors. And who could have counted the pots of soup Elsie made, and the $5.00 bills she passed out to the children! It was probably around that time that I realized a turning point had passed years ago, when instead of being company, I was one of the ones helping put out the good dishes for others.

Elsie enjoyed the commotion of those special occasions, but she especially loved her birthday parties. Every September all her children and their families would come to Greenspond to celebrate. There were always a few skits, some people dressed up, and people sang her favorite songs. She would always say “aren't they shocking”, but her delight was clear.

And it wasn't always organized when all the families were around. We all had dogs, which she tolerated without too much complaint. Her children and grandchildren liked to visit her at the same time so all the grandchildren would grow up knowing their cousins, but that meant 3 dogs, too, and a house full of people. But there was a new or extended pot of soup as each family arrived, the washer was going steadily, the clothesline was always full, and the fridge was always stocked. And there was always room for more. She wanted us to bring friends, family, whoever – everyone was welcome. And even through the turmoil of a full house, she found time to nurture her bonds with her grandchildren, including a unique bond with her grandson Paul. We always said it was a match made in heaven – Paul didn't have much to say, and she loved to talk!

Elsie Bragg was a truly good person. She attended church, but outside that she was an outstanding example of generosity and love. She did not judge or criticize people who did not share her religious practices, but was warm and gracious towards everyone. She was accepting, not faultfinding, peaceable, not confrontational, a giver, not a taker, and she tried to help others wherever she could.

And she was fiercely loyal to her family. When her grandchildren began to have children of their own, she was as nervous as the expectant parents, and then she celebrated each birth. First came boys Gary, Benjamin and Jakob, then girls Jesse, Sophie and Jenna. She joyfully met little Jack, who was born while she was in hospital, but did not get to meet her newest great-grandchild, whom she so desperately wanted to live to see. She treated them all with love and patience, and would leave anything she was doing to play with, read to, or get something for them. And they all loved her.

Elsie Bragg will truly be missed by everyone who knew her, but especially by her family. I feel honored to have had her in my life – her goodness, grace, patience, loyalty, discretion, kindness, and love are an example to us all."