Obituary of Arthur William Redden

REDDEN, Arthur William, age 82, Enfield, passed away at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre, Truro on December 9, 2024 after a brief but hard fought battle with cancer.

Born in Higginsville, he was a son of the late Donald and Shirley (Dickie) Redden.  

Arthur was an extraordinary husband, father, and grandfather, an expert gardener, a terror behind the wheel, and a near professional level scoundrel. He loved deeply, pranked and teased relentlessly, and had a way of making everyone in his life feel at home in his presence.

Arthur became a game warden after attending ranger school in the early 1960s. Though he was never a great lover of formal education, he made his way through the training program, taking equal care in both his studies and in causing a healthy amount of trouble for his classmates and instructors alike. He had a long and fulfilling career as a warden and member of the North American Wildlife Enforcement Officers Association (NAWEOA), working his way up to Director, Vice President, and eventually President of the association. After his retirement in 1995, Art continued to be involved in NAWEOA, attending annual conferences all over North America. 

Arthur met his wife, Bonnie, at a dance in the 1960s. They were married in 1964 at the Brunswick Street United Church in Truro, Nova Scotia and seldom spent a day apart from then on. Arthur used his self-taught carpentry skills to build several beautiful homes in which they lived and raised two children. Despite Bonnie’s insistence that she is “not telling any secrets” with regards to their marriage, it was abundantly clear that it was built on all things strong and enviable. Bonnie often told him he was “one in a million” and he could “take that whatever way he liked”. They weathered storms and rejoiced in life’s small delights, supporting and encouraging each other through a relationship that lasted over 60 years.

Arthur was a man with many diverse hobbies. He was an avid gardener tending to both food crops and dahlias, and engaging in a decades long battle with the neighborhood groundhog who sought to destroy all his hard work. His homemade jellies were a favourite condiment at breakfast time and he was always happy to gift jars of it from his well-stocked jelly cupboard. Art was also keenly interested in genealogy, keeping records of the Redden family tree since their first arrival in Canada. His research and record keeping sparked an interest in writing and he managed to self-publish several collections of stories. Though tone deaf, musically inept, and barely able to play the radio, Art loved music, especially bluegrass. He hosted or attended many Redden family jam sessions and spent summers in the camping trailer, attending bluegrass festivals with Bonnie. 

Though Art had many skills and hobbies, perhaps what he will be remembered for most is his ability to take care of people. He never hesitated to help a person in need. Living so close to the airport, it was common for people to spend the night at the Redden house before an early morning flight. Art would be awake as early as necessary and have a full breakfast of bacon and eggs cooked and on the table before their departure. He would happily drive in a snowstorm to rescue a friend or family member who had  lost power. He’d provide tools or assistance to people trying to complete home renovation projects. He loved children his whole life and would go out of his way to ensure they all had equal opportunity to participate in sports whether that meant offering drives, organizing tournaments, or signing up as coach. Whatever the need, Art was keen to learn anything necessary to help the people he cared for.

He will be sadly missed by his wife of 60 years, Bonnie (Currie); sons, Kevin (Rhonda) and Liam (Jessica); grandchildren, Maggie (David), Devin (Jadzia), Molly (Leigan), Kassie and Lucas; brothers, Donald (Sally), Harley (Beverley), Allan (Margaret), sisters, Patsy (Harvey), Kathy (Scott) and Carolyn (Dave); numerous nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2pm Friday, December 13, 2024 in Ettinger’s Funeral Home, Shubenacadie, Rev. Natalie Buchanan-Rutherford officiating.  Reception to follow in the funeral home reception area.  

Family flowers only, memorial donations may be made to a charity of choice.

Tributes, words of comfort and memories of Art may be shared with the family at: www.ettingerfuneralhome.com