Our classmates will always have a special place in our hearts
We lost two classmates since our 50th reunion in 2022.
50th Reunion Rose and Candle Ceremony
Adapted from Kansas State Nurses Association and Read by Joanne Albert Belliveau
Nursing is a calling, a lifestyle, a way of living. Today we nurses from the Moncton Hospital School of Nursing Class of 1972 honor our classmates who are no longer with us Debbie Griffin Hamm, Liz Roddick Francoeur, Sandy Godsoe Poirier, Vickie Elliott Bishop, Ibby MacDonald, Carol Sloan Sullivan, Margie Davidson Landry and Marilyn Mann Mazer. These eight classmates are not remembered by their years as a nurse, but by the difference they made during those years by stepping into people’s lives, by special moments.
They Were There
When a calming, quiet presence was all that was needed,
They were there.
In the excitement and miracle of birth or in the mystery and loss of life,
They were there.
When a silent glance could uplift a patient, family member or friend,
They were there.
At those times when the unexplainable needed to be explained,
They were there.
When the situation demanded a swift foot and sharp mind,
They were there.
When a gentle touch, a firm push, or an encouraging word was needed,
They were there.
In choosing the best one from a family’s “Thank You” box of chocolates,
They were there.
To witness humanity—its beauty, in good times and bad, without judgment,
They were there.
To embrace the woes of the world, willingly, and offer hope,
They were there
And now, that it is time to be at the Greater One’s side,
They are there.
©2004 Duane Jaeger, RN, MSN
Debbie, Liz, Sandy, Vickie, Ibby, Carol, Margie, and Marilyn we honour you on this our 50th reunion by presenting these yellow roses[1] and lighting these candles to symbolize our honour and appreciation for being our nursing classmates.
Lighting Candles and Placing Roses: Mary McLellan Keenan, Lynda Wheaton Leclerc, Joann Barry Gallagher, Pat Kidney Whitehouse, Wanda Firlotte MacLellan, Linda Doyle Spinney, Nancy Hamilton Trites , and Helen McGrath Brown.
[1] Yellow roses are a symbol of friendship and caring; thus they are a perfect expression of the ties that bind the MHSN Class of 1972
Memorial Song - Our Fallen Classmates
We gaze at their yearbook pictures
Those young faces filled with glee
We warmly embrace our memories
Whisper from pain they now are free
We can feel our eyes they’re tearing
As we remember them this night
If we live to be a hundred
We won’t forget them and their lives
Chorus:
These are our fallen classmates
They sure knew how to have fun
They were full of life and energy
But from death they could not run
And each time we gather without them
There’s tears and laughter too
And our fallen nursing classmates
Urge us not to feel so blue
We dig down and pick ourselves up
Give each other our hand
We say “won’t you please embrace us?
We can’t make it without a plan”
And right now, our hearts feel empty
But we can still laugh now and then
And each time we gain some comfort
When as classmates we meet again
Chorus
They were our nursing classmates
We lived and studied side by side
They wore their Moncton cap and pin
They were filled with Moncton pride
And now they live in our memories
They’ll be forever young
Their lives on earth are over
We pay them tribute with our song.
Chorus
Adapted by Gail Blair Storr 1972 MHSN Graduate from Seven Spanish Angels sung by Willie Nelson & Ray Charles
Written by Eddie Setser & Troy Seals