Obituary of Mary Louise Vande Berg

VANDE BERG (Barrett), Mary Louise - Arichat, Isle Madame, born in Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.A., on July 22, 1920, died peacefully at home following a short illness, on July 1, 2007. Mary Louise was a talented, bright and thoughtful person who touched everyone she met with her beautiful smile, grace and kindhearted manner. She is greatly missed by her children, friends, brother, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 52 years, Lester Vande Berg. She was deeply loved and admired by her two children and their spouses, Drs. Michael and Camille Vande Berg of Portland, Me., and Peggy Ann and Charles Bosdet of Arichat. She often said she'd been blessed with four children, and loved each without differentiation. Mary Louise studied classical piano from childhood, receiving her master's degree in music education and performance from Northwestern University, outside of Chicago. After her children were born, she quit performing. Years later, she was asked to teach music and third grade in the Chicago suburban school system, where she remained until her retirement 20 years later. Following her husband's death in 1994, Mary Louise moved to Orange County, Calif., to live near her daughter, Peggy Ann. When Charles decided to permanently return to his native Canada in 2002, he invited Mary Louise to come along and share the home he and Peg bought outside of Arichat. At age 82, she left her busy life in southern California to live in rural Cape Breton. She loved every minute of it, thanks to those who made her welcome on Isle Madame. Though of Irish heritage, she wanted to show her regard for her new Acadian community and thus enrolled for several semesters in French classes at Universite Saint-Anne in Petit de Grat. She quickly found a tangible way to contribute to the community, performing several benefit classical piano recitals for her church, Our Lady of Assumption in Arichat, as well as one for St. John's Anglican Church. She also played the piano for the monthly service at St. John's. But by far her favourite piano activity was playing a short classical recital once a month for the residents of St. Anne Community and Nursing Care Centre in Arichat. She felt a commitment to share the joy she found in this kind of music with those who were elderly and shut-in, though she herself was just as elderly, continuously tethered to a portable oxygen tank and using a cane in order to walk safely. Her musical performances were immortalized by the well-known Cape Breton artist, Berni Thorneycroft, whose hauntingly beautiful painting of Mary Louise playing Debussey's Clair de Lune at a concert in Assumption Church was exhibited at Cape Breton University last year. True to her caring nature, Mary Louise arranged to donate her body to Dalhousie Medical School for research. There will be a memorial service to celebrate her life on Saturday, September 1, at 11 a.m. in Our Lady of Assumption Church, Arichat. A light luncheon at the parish hall will follow. Condolences can be sent to the family at Box 323, Arichat, NS B0E 1A0. Donations in Mary Louise's memory can be directed to St. Anne Centre, Arichat.