The life and legacy of Dr. Marilyn Trenholme Counsell was celebrated on Friday as hundreds of people gathered at Mount Allison University on Friday for her state funeral.
Former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna was among the first to speak, describing Trenholme Counsell as someone who “shattered glass ceilings before the term was even invented.” He reflected on a career that crossed medicine, politics and public service while remaining rooted in the communities she served.
After the ceremony, mourners crossed campus to the Purdy Crawford Centre for the Arts. The reception offered a different side of the day, as conversations replaced speeches and people caught up with old friends while sharing stories about Trenholme Counsell that stretched back decades.
One of those conversations was with Brent Melanson.
Now president of the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick, Melanson worked alongside Trenholme Counsell through the organization and said her influence is still felt today.
“Marilyn was truly a driving force,” Melanson said. “Whatever gains we have made in this province in the areas of literacy, a lot of it has to do with Marilyn.”
Across the room, Premier Susan Holt reflected on one of her earliest memories of Trenholme Counsell. It came from her first day working in government.
“On my first day on the job, sitting at my desk was a handwritten note from Marilyn congratulating me on the job, telling me how important that she thought public service was and encouraging me and my success,” Holt said.
Holt said Trenholme Counsell continued offering advice throughout the years and remained someone she could turn to after becoming premier.
The same qualities surfaced in conversation after conversation throughout the afternoon.
Macx MacNichol, who spent six years as Trenholme Counsell’s aide-de-camp while she was lieutenant governor, remembered someone who made time for everyone.
“Accessibility,” MacNichol said. “She would talk to anybody and about anything. Whether she agreed with you or not, she’d speak to you. Nobody was too small.”
For Claret Savoie, those memories centred on Trenholme Counsell’s warmth.
“She was warm with everybody,” Savoie said. “She didn’t make any distinction.”
Brenda Trafford’s connection reached back more than 70 years to their days as students at Mount Allison University.
“I remember her best, I would say, for her constant goodwill among the community, and her thoughtfulness for other people,” Trafford said.
