Lola Belle Gladwin

Gladwin (Hamilton), Lola Belle December 29, 1931 - March 4, 2025 Lola was born in Hampton, Nova Scotia on Dec 29, 1931; the 2nd of six children to Alice (Longmire) & Wilfred Hamilton, of Hampton, Nova Scotia. Lola schooled in Hampton and at the age of 17, left to work for Maritime Tel & Tel. In her role as Chief Operator and Instructress, she travelled to many rural communities along the South Shore as well as the Annapolis Valley before ending her career after 19 years working on North Street in Halifax. While boarding with her Aunt in Waverley, she attended church one Sunday morning, and caught the eye of a young man who was attending church with his Mother. Harold introduced Lola to his family and forever friendships were formed. They dated for several years before exchanging vows on August 23,1958 under the altar at their newly purchased waterfront property on Lake Thomas in Waverley. They wanted to have a family, and applied to adopt. Their wish was granted in March, 1969 with the birth of Jayne Elsie. Together, the threesome enjoyed travelling together with trips to England, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Jamaica; as well as repeated trips to Barbados & Hawaii, and many stays in Florida, which they loved so much. Lola returned to work part-time when Jayne was in elementary school, working as Receptionist for Nova Scotia Building Supplies until the company ceased operations. Upon Harold’s retirement in 1990, they started wintering in Florida, exploring both Florida coastlines, finally settling into the inter-coastal community of Stuart, Florida. Lola & Harold enjoyed hosting visitors while also meeting other couples, many of whom also became lifelong friendships. In 1992, Jayne married Stephen Green, of Halifax, and work began to transform the Hall Road home to include an in-law suite where they all resided together for the next 20 years. In 2001 Lola & Harold welcomed their first grandchild, Liam, and in 2004, granddaughter Chelsea. Having grandkids kept them young at heart and they all benefitted from providing built-in babysitting services, caring for their grandchildren while Stephen and Jayne both worked shift work full time. At the age of 80, Lola was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent radiation treatments and continued to have good health for many years. Just before losing Harold in October, 2022, Lola’s cognitive decline & memory loss became significant and she was formally diagnosed with Dementia/Alzheimers. Jayne moved back to Hall Road to be with & provide care for her Mom. Up until this point, Lola spent her days outside as often as she could, taking long walks, working in the yard, planting flowers, raking leaves, soaking up the sun & enjoying the peaceful tranquility & lakeside view. She also had a passion for thrifting, always searching for that special must-have nugget or treasure on her regular stops. After a series of falls & the progression of her cognitive decline, Lola became a resident of Parkstone Enhanced Care in Halifax in January, 2024. It was just before her 93rd birthday there were signs that Lola’s cancer had returned. Her decline in health was swift & sudden. True to her mothering style until her last day, Lola refused to burden Jayne with being witness to her passing, choosing instead to slip away less than an hour after Jayne left her bedside for the night. Lola is survived by her daughter Jayne Gladwin-Green & son-in-law Stephen Green, grandson Liam and granddaughter Chelsea (Travis), all of Waverley; Godson Stewart Adams (Lynn) of Windsor Junction; brother Carl (Dorothy) Hamilton, sister Carol Ann (Wayne) Forrest, along with many nieces & nephews, both grand & great. The family wishes to acknowledge Harold’s niece, Anne Murray, who dedicated a lot of her time taking Mom on walks, road trips and also shared & encouraged Mom’s love of nature and flair for unique style & vintage decor. Besides her parents & her husband Harold, Lola was predeceased by sisters Gladys Barrette, Norma (Bill) Campbell & Barbara (Peter) Grant. There are no words to describe the immeasurable gratitude the family has for the kindness, compassion, care & friendship received from the wonderful staff & fellow residents from Mount Lane at Parkstone Enhanced Care. In keeping with her wishes, there will be no service. Cremation will take place and her ashes will be spread alongside Harold’s on their lakefront property in Waverley. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. “I love you more”