Obituary of Stella Marie McGrath

Stella Marie McGrath (Gabriel) passed away peacefully at the age of 92 at the Hospice in Fredericton, NB.

Stella, and her twin sister, Josephine, were born on September 6^th, 1930 in Halifax, Nova Scotia to Joseph and Marie Gabriel.

In 1946 she met Edgar McGrath, the paperboy. They fell in love, married and raised 4 daughters in Halifax, Hull and Oromocto.

Stella was a military wife, stay at home mother, volunteer and columnist for the Oromocto Monitor/ Post. When her children were older, Stella worked at UNB, NB Manpower, and retired as a transcriber for the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick.

Taught by nuns and raised Roman Catholic, Stella was a faithful woman who enjoyed reading the Bible every morning.  She was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Oromocto.

Stella was intelligent and generous, with a good sense of humour. She liked to entertain others with imaginative stories and often was mischievous.  She was an avid reader and talented writer.

Stella loved all animals. She fed the birds and squirrels and adopted every stray cat in the neighbourhood.   She could be seen walking her dogs for miles every day in Oromocto.  Stella was a member of the Kindness Club.

Stella had a nickname for everyone.  She called her daughters “Mitzi”, “Pork Chop”, “ McWoozy” and “Small”.  Her husband was “Sonny”.   Last year, the ladies at Enhanced Living Gagetown gave HER a nickname.  They began to call her “The Queen”. 

Stella is predeceased by her parents, several siblings, her husband, Edgar McGrath, and her daughter, Wendy McGrath.

She is survived by her daughters, Shirley McGrath, Heather Roy (Georges) and Theresa Halbot (Paul);  grandchildren, Martin Green (Anna), Michael Roy (Erlyn), Todd Halbot, Russell McGrath-Lovell, and Charlotte Halbot; great grandchildren, Autumn Green, Willow Green, Edgar Holland and Thomas Holland; sister, Josephine Zinck (Al) and special niece, Cynthia Vanderlinden.

The family would like to thank Dr. Paulin, the staff of the Hospice, Extra Mural nurses, and the staff of Enhanced Living Gagetown for their excellent care.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Vincent de Paul Church, Oromocto, at 1:00 PM on Monday, December 5th.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a donation to the Oromocto SPCA or Hospice House Fredericton.