January 21st, 1924 - October 1st, 2012

Middle River

Irene, the wife of the late James McVeigh, died peacefully at the age of 88 at the Chaleur Regional Hospital after a brief illness. She was surrounded by family throughout the short duration of her illness and her passing.

Born in Litton Mill in Derbyshire, England she was the eldest of three children of the late Norman and Ethel (Barton) Leigh.

Irene was married to James of Belfast Ireland in Warrington England on Christmas day in 1945. The two immigrated to Canada in 1957 following the birth of their three children. After a short stay in Toronto, the family moved to Murdochville, Quebec where they lived for 24 years. In 1981, she accompanied James to Bathurst where she lived until the time of her passing.

In her younger years Irene was an avid outdoor enthusiast. She and her husband enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping. After James’ retirement they spent several years traveling to Florida during the winters.

More recently "Grannie" loved to crochet beautiful blankets for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She spent many hours completing jigsaw puzzles, emailing companions from her travels and video chatting with her family in England. She also kept up her enthusiasm for the outdoors by bird watching and painting scenes from nature.

She will be sadly missed by son Michael (Frances), his two children Chris and Lisa, and by her son Peter (Aldea) his two children Tanya and Terry, and by her daughter Michelle (Robert) and her two children Amanda and Erin, and by her sister Sheila Timmins (Geoff) of England, and by her brother Desmond of England, and by her two great-grandchildren Lily and Jada.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday, October 3rd after 7:00 pm at Elhatton’s Funeral Home (www.elhatton.com), Bathurst.

The funeral service will be held at 11:00 am on Thursday, October 4th, 2012 at the Funeral Home Chapel. Visiting hours are Wednesday evening from 7 to 9 p.m.