Obituary of Theresa Spragg

Theresa ("Terry") Spragg (nee Clowater) was born October 29, 1950 in Fredericton to Everett & Joyce Clowater (nee Hargrove). She was raised in Lakeville Corner (and on Grand Manan for a time), but she was adventurous and ambitious, and in 1970 she joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, aspiring to something she didn’t feel she would achieve in a small rural community. During her 30 years of service, climbing the non-commissioned ranks with hard work and determination, she met Terrence (also "Terry") Kenneth Spragg of Vancouver while the two were posted to Cold Lake. More of an affectionate and practical match than an epic romance, the two married in 1971. Later when posted to CFB Gagetown and living back in Lakeville Corner they had two children, Kenneth Allan in 1979 and Michelle Cecile in 1983, whom she loved dearly and continued working hard to provide for. The family was posted to Trenton, Ontario in 1986; Ottawa in 1990 (where Terrence retired); and ultimately back to the Fredericton area (New Maryland) in 1995, where Theresa also exited the military as a Master Warrant Officer. After leaving the Air Force, she held a civilian contractor position for a time before joining the Corps of Commissionaires, eventually becoming area manager for Fredericton for several years before retiring for good. When her husband died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, she busied herself with family, community, and her cats Leo & Damien. She moved to Douglas Harbour in 2010, where she formed a "widows’ club," taught Sunday School, and one day upon hearing the music of Dwayne Ferris, a singer/song-writer from Mill Cove, NB, formed a dear friendship with him and discovered a new passion selflessly volunteering to promote his art. Her first grandchild Jacob was born to Michelle (having moved to BC) and her husband Jeffrey Bobrel, and longing to spend more time visiting them on the West coast, in November of 2017 Theresa was prevailed upon to move back in to Fredericton to live with Ken and his partner John Staples, so that her surviving cat Damien could be cared for while she traveled. She transitioned over several months, retaining her house in Douglas Harbour until October 2018 when she sold it to a family displaced by the Maugerville flooding. Sadly, a suspected heart attack amid the final moving-out began to ail her shortly thereafter, leading to weeks in the Chalmers Hospital from October to December. Not long after being discharged, little Damian died of a similar ailment, but despite needing in-home oxygen following exertion, Theresa seemed thankfully to begin to recover. We unhappily mused that he had taken on her ‘fate’ so that she could get better. Weathering her residual health challenges, she visited Michelle & her family, returned to promoting Dwayne’s music, and delighted Ken & John as a roommate. A sudden bout of illness late in June, however, returned her to the hospital. Resuscitated from a heart attack in the ER, she spent a week in the ICU and then Cardiac Care unit, trying her best to get better and make it back home again. Family and friends rallied to her side, keeping devoted vigil throughout declining health. In her final days she hoped for the best but bravely, gracefully, she also tried to prepare herself and us for the worst. To our great sorrow, she died in her sleep at approximately 7:15 PM on Jun 30, attended to by her best friend. Beloved for her kindness and generosity, her good humour and wit, her creativity and industriousness, and her ageless zest for life, Terry is survived by her siblings Rhonda Clowater and her partner Carol; Shelly Ateyo and husband Perry, and their children Courtney & Nicole; Kelly Davidson and husband Roger, and their children Terryn, Samantha & William; and Evan Clowater, his wife Jeanette, and their sons Sheldon, Logan, Jonathan and Michael; by her son Ken and his partner John; by her daughter Michelle, her husband Jeff, and their son— the grandson she adored— Jacob. An informal gathering to celebrate her will be held Saturday, July 6 at 5 PM, at 549 Route 690 in Lakeville Corner. Anyone who appreciated her and will miss her is welcome to attend to share stories and music, to bring and ‘toast’ her with Reese peanut butter cups & McDonalds milkshakes (some of her last comforts in the hospital), and is encouraged to wear purple, as it was her favourite. Those inclined to make donations in her honour are asked to consider the food bank, or community kitchen, or the SPCA. And for anyone moved to try and emulate her in remembrance, in her own words: "it isn’t complicated. Just be kind, be considerate, and try not to think you’re better than anybody else."