Faith
Louise Adair (nee Speyser). 06 April
1929-13 March 2021
It
is with great sadness that the children of Faith Louise (Speyser) Adair
announce her return to Heavenly Father's Arms on 13 March 2021 at La Verendrye
Hospital.
Faith
was born on 06 April 1929 to the late Florence Ann (Blumenschiedt) and Rudolph
Albert Speyser in the city of Newark, New Jersey. She spent her early
years in Newark, then Saddle River, New Jersey before moving to Miami, Florida
to pursue training as a Medical Lab Technician.
Faith
met the love of her life, Bill Adair during the hurricane of August 1949. Bill
said she was the prettiest lady in a uniform he had ever met.
Faith
and Bill were married at First Baptist Church, on Easter Sunday 1950 in West
Palm Beach and started their new adventure.
Over
eight years, Faith gave birth to six children as they moved for Bill’s work;
West Palm Beach, Jacksonville and Tampa, Florida and Savannah, Georgia.
After their move to Canada in 1963, they chose two more children to become
part of our family. Faith was always happiest with her bustling home and
eagerly awaited the additions of grandchildren and great grandchildren as her
own children grew.
Faith
learned to sew after she married keeping us turned out in our Sunday
best. She said she could make a bolt of fabric stretch farther than anyone
else and took pride in showing off her children; she insisted all them learn to
sew even her sons.
When
Christmas Carols were sung at school concerts, Faith made sure her children
were up to the task, typing carbon copies late into the night.
Crochet
was learned from her mother-in-law and soon there was a wall full of dolls
wearing native country outfits, tablecloths and lace edged dresses. Later
came numerous blankets, dresses, clothing and hats for her children and then
her grandchildren and great grandchildren, with knitting and embroidery also passing
those skills as well.
Faith
followed her girls into Brownie and Girl Scouts slipping easily into Girl
Guides when we made our home in Canada. She became a leader who thought
taking a group of young ladies to see a Cowsill concert in Detroit was just the
same as herding six children to the Cyclorama in Atlanta or through rickety
fire towers at Gettysburg and Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell.
Faith
went back to high school in Kirkland Lake with her oldest children to take
accounting, sharing classes with one.
Faith
loved to garden entering many in yearly horticulture events. Faith's
summer canvas was at our property on the Finger Point on Rainy Lake.
As
her children grew and left home Faith broadened her volunteering using her new
found free time, joining the CWL, Lion's Club, working alongside Bill at KoC
bingos and as a marriage prep instructor with Bill at St. Mary's also as a Life
Member for La Verendrye working in the Library area.
Faith
and Bill studied with the Thunder Bay Bishopric and in October 1999 she was
ordained as Eucharistic Minister of Services. She loved her time serving
at St. Mary's and Bear’s Pass Chapel and continued serving after Bill
passed.
Faith was the glue that held our large group
together while Bill worked away from home, saying it reminded her of the long
running "Family Circus" comic. She packed us up to make over 20
moves in over 20 years serve as an adventure for us to explore historical
sites, ease into making new friends, teach self-sufficiency, and always give
our best no matter the job with respect to others.
Faith was predeceased by her mother Florence
(1903-1992), her father Rudolph (1900-1960), her loving husband Rev.'Bill'
Adair (1930-2006), her son John (1962-2018), granddaughter Savannah Harper
(2011), brother-in-law Curtis Adair (1931-2020), daughter-in-law Patricia – Patty
(1958-1994), son-in-law Richard Harper (1956-2012), and nephew, Jeffery Adair
(1956-1978).
Faith is survived by her children: Theresa
Michiel (Dennis) Calgary; David Happy (Rhonda) Atikokan; Merry Sue Adair-Gill
(Roderick) Winnipeg; George Adair (Valerie) Winnipeg; Jeri LaFleche (David)
Orillia; Kerry Harper Fort Frances; Jesse (Barbara) Altona, Manitoba;
daughter-in-law Teresa (Hilton) Adair, Atikokan; sister-in-law Patricia Adair,
West Palm Beach, Florida; Bosko and Jovanka Stopa, Fort Frances; 2 nephews; 26
grandchildren; 32 great-grandchildren; and four Godchildren.
Our thanks go to Dr. Vaishali Patel and the
staff at La Verendrye Hospital for their care and compassion for our mother.
At Faith’s request, internment will be held
privately at a memorial service to take place at a future date. In lieu
of flowers, the family requests that in memoriam donations be made to La
Verendrye Hospital, 110 Victoria Ave, Fort Frances, Ontario P9A 2B7.
