Brooklyn, NS
Feb 9, 2024
Richardson – Charles Gilbert, 97, of Brooklyn Queens Co passed away peacefully in his sleep on Feb 9, 2024.
Born in Brooklyn, Charles was the son of the late Hallam and Evie (Gardner) Richardson.
Charles attended schools in both Brooklyn and Liverpool. In school, he pitched for their baseball team and played on their hockey team. He was president of the former Brooklyn Athletic Association which raised money to develop the softball field, and to support the softball team of which he was a member. He was a member of the Brooklyn broom ball team in the 1950s which played in the Bridgewater league.
Charles worked for the Markland Shipping Co for a few years before going into the painting business with his father. He was president of the Liverpool Co-op in Brooklyn, also serving on the board of the Canadian Bible Society for a three year term. He was a member of the Brooklyn Baptist Church, serving for many years as a deacon, the Sunday School superintendent, and in various other committees.
In the 1970s, he became involved with the Long Lake Baptist Youth Camp, as a director on the camp board, then as the chairman for over 20 years, earning the nickname Mr. Long Lake that has stuck through the years. He was involved in different projects of growth for the camp, giving of his time in many ways.
In 1962, he went to work with the Mersey Paper Company, retiring as the paint shop foreman in 1987. In 1992, as part of the Canadian Baptist Volunteer Program, he went to Gilliam Manitoba to help paint the inside of a church and to share in their ministry, and in 1995, he joined a tour of the Holy Land.
He enjoyed playing canasta with his wife and their friends. He taught his grand daughter, Kristen, at a young age how to play the game, and to this day, she still has his competitive nature and loves to play. Charles was known as a bit of pool shark, very serious about weekly pool time with his buddies.
Having lived in Brooklyn all his life, he often had phone calls, letters, or visits from people wanting to know various things about the history of the community. Right up to the end of his life, he could answer those questions, usually without any pause to think about it. In his later years he continued to enjoy the great outdoors, his woodlot, gardening, blueberrying, and his annual trips to the shores of Lake Rossignol with friends to pick cranberries.
Left to mourn are his daughter Catherine, his son-in-law, Robert (O’Brien) and his granddaughter, Kristen. Charles is also survived by two other granddaughters, Jericka and Katelyn, his nieces, Barbara, Susan and Nancy and several cousins, two of which visited him this past summer, Janet and her husband, Rob, and John and his wife, Eugenia. Visits that Charles thoroughly enjoyed.
Besides his parents, Charles was predeceased by his beloved wife of 62 years Elizabeth (McLean), his twin sister Elizabeth, and his sons, Philip and Robbie.
Cremation has taken place under the direction of Chandlers’ Funeral Home, Liverpool, NS. Funeral service will be held Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. in Liverpool United Baptist Church, Liverpool. Reception following in the Brooklyn Baptist Church Vestry. A private burial will be held at a later date. No flowers by request.
Donations can be made to the Brooklyn Baptist Church, Long Lake Camp, or the Queens Co VON.
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