(Lady of Uffington Manor, England) – 100, of Guelph, Ontario, died peacefully on October 7, 2024, at the Village of Riverside Glen Long Term Care Home.
Billie Marie was born May 11, 1924 in Miami, Oklahoma, with twin sister Betty Lou, to parents Leona Pearl (Padgett) Elkins and Silmon Ernest Elkins. She is predeceased by her husband, John James Fordham II (2010), children Ruth (Ruthie) Anne Fordham (2001) and John (Johnny) James Fordham III (2007), siblings Betty Lou, Silmon Ernest (Buddy) Jr., and Charles Wiley, and survived by her sister Ruth Ann. She is also survived by her granddaughters, Anne-Drea Allison and Anne-Marie Allison, grandson David Fordham, great-grandchildren Jessica Allison and Justice Harker, several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
Billie Marie grew up with 4 siblings in Miami, Oklahoma during the Great Depression. In 1943, she married a handsome British Royal Air Force soldier named John who was stationed near her town during the early days of WWII. They soon moved to Manitoba when John was transferred to a military base, and their son, Johnny, was born there in 1944. Shortly after, John was transferred back to England, and Billie Marie moved back to Miami with Johnny to be with family. Once the war ended, Billie Marie and Johnny took a 1000-mile train ride to Canada and boarded a ship to England. The trip took 8 days and nights, given a 1000-mile detour due to the risk of wartime armaments in the waters off the coast of Newfoundland.
After living in England for two years, the young family moved back to the USA. Their daughter, Ruthie, was born in Kansas in 1950. A devoted mother, Billie Marie cared for her children while John worked at various jobs, moving the family to Illinois and later Michigan. Billie Marie later moved back to Oklahoma to be with Ruthie and her two daughters, Anne-Marie and Anne-Drea. While there, she worked as a receptionist for the District Attorney’s office, earning the respect of others as a treasured colleague. Later, Billie Marie rejoined John in Maine where the couple developed plans for a distribution business based on his 20 years of experience with a firm in Chicago. While waiting to immigrate to Canada, they served as live-in caretakers for the University of Maine’s President’s house; she typed manuscripts for various professors, and John worked at the university library.
After immigrating to Nova Scotia in the early 1980s, they soon established three distribution companies - one in the USA operated by their son, one in Canada operated by their daughter who had moved to Canada with her daughters, and one in England operated by Billie Marie and John. While living in England, the couple kept a home in Nova Scotia and enjoyed travelling in Europe, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt, and back and forth to the USA and Canada to visit family. Highlights included a trip on the Orient Express and a flight on the Concorde!
After many years of hard work together, Billie Marie and John retired in England but soon moved back to Nova Scotia in the early 1990s to be closer to family. John developed rheumatoid arthritis in the mid 1990s, followed by throat cancer in 2001, and lost the ability to speak. Billie Marie rose to the challenge of helping care for him, adding the role of nurse to her daily routine. John succumbed to his illnesses in 2010, after 67 years of marriage. Sadly, their daughter Ruthie died in 2001 and their son Johnny in 2007.
A year later, Billie Marie moved to Guelph to live with Anne-Marie and her partner, Patricia. She travelled with Anne-Marie and Patricia to England in the summer of 2011 and then to Miami, Oklahoma in the spring of 2012. Billie Marie was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2012, and moved into the Village of Riverside Glen retirement home in Guelph in 2013 and then into to the long-term care neighbourhood in 2014. During her time at Riverside Glen, Billie Marie enjoyed the friendship of many residents and the excellent care of numerous, dedicated, and tireless personal support workers, recreational staff, pastoral, and medical staff. The staff adored her. The family would like to express their sincere appreciation for the loving care that the staff at Riverside Glen gave to Billie Marie in the
last years of her life.
A charming, social butterfly, Billie Marie easily befriended people through work, church, and travels. She loved to dance and had a beautiful singing voice but would never admit it. She would refer to people as “Darlin’ ”, given her Oklahoma roots, and sometimes would address people as “Love”, given her time in England. An excellent cook and baker, Billie Marie enjoyed gardening, knitting, baking, letter writing, reading her Bible, mystery and romance novels, and staying up to date on the British Royal Family. She also enjoyed watching British soccer with John, often while knitting, and keeping touch with friends she made in so many places. Having been raised a Baptist, Billie Marie found fellowship over the years at various Baptist churches in the USA, England, and Canada. During her retirement yeas in Nova Scotia, she enjoyed the connections she made with her church family, and was well known for bringing baked goods to church activities.
Billie Marie lived a long and beautiful life, touching the lives of many, and will be dearly missed by all who knew her.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, October 17, at 3pm, followed by a celebration of Billie Marie’s life at 4pm, at the T. K. Barnard Funeral Home, 85 Sackville Cross Road, Lr. Sackville, NS. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer Society.
Arrangements entrusted to T.K. Barnard Funeral Home