Our sweet and loving mother, Natalie Forrestall passed away four short years ago, on March 13th, 2006. The pure love that poured out of mom's big heart for her grandchildren, children and husband of 48 years, Tom Forrestall, and everyone she ever met, was a rare and beautiful thing. We were all so blessed, so very lucky to have such a wonderfully kind woman to call mother. Beyond her endless capacity to love everyone, mom was a talented painter in her own right. Mom earned her own degree in Fine Arts from Mount Allison University, as well as a teaching degree from a teacher's college in Oromocto and, luckily for dad, had a brilliant mind for buisness. Our mother was an art teacher to elementary aged children in the early years of her marriage, helping to support the family. Mom gave up her painting career to manage our father's career and the busy household of six children and umpteen pets, so dad could focus on his painting.
Here are a few photos of mom with members of her loving family who will never, ever forget her.
Tom Forrestall and Natalie Forrestall holding Max Forrestall Schuss at Three Oaks in July 2002.
My brother, Frank Forrestall recently found an old video on his computer with footage of mom doing some gardening with his eldest daughter Gwen. Frank writes about that special moment in time below.
"I've attached a few stills from the video. It was another of those special moments with Gwen that mom loved so much (like their time baking together). Mom loved those moments and always found little projects for them to do together. In this video they were re-potting some plants together; I don't think Gwen was of any practical assistance, but I don't think mom was seeking perfection in the task, she found perfection in the moment."
Natalie Forrestall gardening with her grandaughter Gwen Forrestall in Dartmouth.
Natalie Forrestall planting flowers in her hanging plant holders for the porch, with her grandaughter Gwen.
My sister, Renee Forrestall (below with mom) was touched by the gardening photos of mom, and had this memory of gardening with mom to share, "I love the gardening pictures! I loved that mom would put on her striped overalls for even the slightest of gardening work! I remember the first garden we put in together on the side of the house when I was seventeen - it was pouring rain - torrential - but we went ahead and did it anyway! We were transplanting daffodils that we had found growing deep in the woods at 3 Oaks. We dug a massive trench the length of the house - right under the down spout of the gutter! Never mind we had no clue what we were doing! We laughed so much - all the daffodils kept bobbing up and floating around like little boats. We kept dashing around the 20 foot trench trying to anchor the bulbs to the muddy bottom of the rushing stream we had created. The problem was we had hundreds of bulbs!
We always had a good chuckle when the daffodils would come up every year. They still come up - I always think of this fun time with mom when I see daffodils."
My brother Curphey didn't have any photos to share, but writes "Still miss her, still speechless."
Renee Forrestall and mom, Natalie Forrestall August 4th.
Family gatherine in Karsdale, Nova Scotia Summer 2005. From left, back row: Monica Forrestll, Winkie deVries, Kitty Forrestall, Tom Forrestall, Miles DeVries, Natalie Forrestall, David DeVries (back) Nick Matyas (front), Nicoline DeVries . From row, from left: Pierson Matyas, Max Forrestall Schuss, David Matyas, Jack Matyas (holding) Duff.
Natalie Forrestall, Tom Forrestall and Prime Minister Trudeau.
Back row, from left: Curphey Forrestall, Anne and Bess Forrestall, Natalie Forrestall, Marie Webb, Tom Forrestall, Rachel Forrestall, William Forrestall. Sitting, from left: Jamie, Gwen Forrestall, Jasmine Forrestall, Diana and Jessica and Frank Forrestall, (foreground) Millie Webb, Renee Forrestall.
Natalie and Tom Forrestall.
William Forrestall, Natali Forrestall, Monica Forrestall, Tom Forrestall in front of the family home in Fredericton, New Brunswick on University Avenue where we all grew up as children.
Fam photo taken in Point Pleasant Park in 1977. From left: Curphey Forrestall, William Forrestall, Natalie Forrestall, Tom Forrestall, Renee Forrestall, Frank Forrestall, Monica Forrestall, Jack Forrestall.
Family brunch at The Digby Pines (mom's fav place to go in the summer) in Summer 2005. From left: Tom Forrestall, Natalie Forrestall, Max Forrestall Schuss, Monica Forrestall.
Background from left: Kitty Forrestall, Renee Forrestall, Natalie and Tom Forrestall. Front: Monica Forrestall (holding) Marie Webb, John Distefano at The Farm in the Annapolis Valley.
At The McDonald Museum in Middleton, Nova Scotia for a family exhibition opening. Back row, from left: Diana and Jessica Forrestall, Jaimie, Jack Forrestall, Natalie Forrestall, Tom Forrestall, Frank Forrestall. Front row, from left: Gwen Forrestall, Renee Forrestall, Kristin Grimson, Nico, Kitty Forrestall, Matthew Grimson.
Nat & Tom Forrestall (above)
Tom and Natalie Forrestall, Renee Forrestall and her eldest daughter Millie Webb.
Above: From left: Marie Webb on her uncle Curphey Forrestall's lap, Natalie and Tom Forrestall, Millie Webb, Monica Forrestall on Christmas morning in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The girls are wearing matching burgundy velvet dresses mom bought for them.
When mom was in the hospital, Millie and Renee smuggled in Millie's pet rabbit Humbug, because mom loved her own pet rabbit so much, who passed away. Mom's cranky rabbit was only sweet for her.
Natalie and Tom Forrestall on their wedding day, Friday, September 13th.
---Monica Forrestall
