Marjorie Butland, a resident at Governor Hall at Parkland Fredericton, had quite a birthday party recently. About one hundred people came to help Marjorie celebrate, including some of her family from out west and many members of the community.

Marjorie was born on the shores of the Bay of Fundy on January 31st, 1924, in the small community of Waterside. She was number 15 of 16 siblings, back when big families were the norm. She attended a one-room school in nearby West River, which provided education up to Grade 8 at the time. After graduation she made her way to Saint John and worked at the Simms Brush Factory.

Eventually, she met the love of her life, Eddie Butland, whom she married in 1946. They returned to West River and moved in with her in-laws, Eddie’s Mum and Dad. They had three girls and three boys and ran the family farm. When Eddie passed in 1965, Marjorie was left to raise their six children on her own. That was when Marjorie decided that she needed a better income. She returned to school, got her GED and then her Nursing diploma. She moved to Albert and worked for several years at the Albert County Hospital, where she made many friends and was very active in the community.

At the age of 80 she sold her house in Albert and moved to Fredericton to be closer to her family.

Marjorie enjoys Parkland and participates in many of the activities. In her words, “they treat me like a queen”. Thank you, Marjorie, for being such a vibrant part of the Parkland community!