January 21, 1949 – January 7, 2026
Kathryn Gay Wilson passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at Turnbull Nursing Home, surrounded by loved ones. Kathryn was born in Saint John on January 21, 1949. She was predeceased by her parents H. Gordon and Beatrice (McConnell) Wilson.
She grew up attending St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Belmont and after it closed, became a member of the Church of the Resurrection in Grand Bay-Westfield. Kathryn attended grade school in Ketepec and Morna Heights and graduated from Saint John High School. She received her Education degree and continued on to obtain her Masters in Education. Kathryn loved teaching and taught at many Saint John and surrounding area schools for 38 years, grades 4-12, with the last 10 years of her career spent at Harbourview High School, retiring in 2011. She enjoyed many friendships through teaching, with both colleagues and students, and continued to stay in touch with them through the years. She served on the Board of the New Brunswick Retired Teachers Association – Saint John Branch.
Kathryn had a love for learning. She took courses in history, languages, geology and architecture, studying locally, in the US, and abroad in England and Germany. Kathryn was an avid photographer, taking her camera with her everywhere. She was always taking pictures at family events, on road trips and at functions with friends. She loved nature and was able to capture its beauty in many pictures, with which she often used to make greeting cards. She was the photographer for the Saint John Retired Teachers Society. She had a great love of local history and was deeply involved with the Loyalist House. She was president of the Saint John Historical Society for almost 20 years until 2022 and was past president of The New Brunswick Museums Association, Saint John Fundy zone. Kathryn served as secretary for the Fort LaTour Development Authority. She was a tireless advocate for both New Brunswick and Saint John heritage.
Kathryn was passionate about gardening. She loved everything to do with planting and nurturing flowers, vegetables, trees and shrubs. She loved to thumb through the Veseys seed catalogue, extensively planning her next garden. Kathryn loved animals and had many pets over the years, including horses, dogs and cats. She was so happy to have her last two cats live with her at Turnbull Nursing Home. Kathryn enjoyed travelling around the world. Her hobbies included needlepoint, cross stitch, and reading. She was very social and enjoyed every opportunity she had to spend with family and friends whether it be holiday gatherings, birthday parties, road trips, lunches or just coffee and a doughnut.
Kathryn is survived by her brother, David Wilson (Marie), her niece, Christina Morrell (Acel), her nephew, Peter Wilson (Barb), her great-nephews and nieces, Bradley Morrell (Cait Baxter), Jennifer Blanchard (Zac), Rebecca Wilson (Kevin Macdonald) and Josh Wilson (Emily Derrah). She is also survived by her great-great-nieces, Paige Marshall, and Eva and Lily Blanchard, and cousins Heather Geddes (Murray), John Wilson (Linda) and Ann Chiovetti (Rob Buchta).
The family would like to thank the staff of Turnbull Nursing Home for their wonderful care while Kathryn was a resident.
Arrangements are under the care and direction of Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John (506-634-7424) where visitation will take place on Monday, January 12, 2026 from 12:00 – 2:00 PM with the funeral service beginning at 2:00 PM in Brenan’s Chapel. For those unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed and can be viewed by visiting Kathryn’s obituary on the Brenan’s website.
Donations in Kathryn’s memory may be made to the Saint John SPCA or charity of the donor’s choice.
