SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — After six decades, three children, a Cold War, several relocations, tragedies and countless sweet memories Morris Gates said goodbye to his wife, Frances (Francie), for the last time in August 2019.
She was laid to rest in the red soil she loved, in the town her ancestors helped build and near the family she cherished.
Gates, 88, lives in Trenton, Ontario. He has been unable to visit Francie’s grave in Summerside’s People’s Cemetery since November of 2019. In his absence, he has trusted a nephew who lives in P.E.I. to place flowers on her tombstone for her birthday and a wreath at Christmas.
“But it is not enough for me,” he told the Journal Pioneer.
“We were married for 66 years, but I would like another lifetime with her if that were possible.”
Shortly after Francie died, Gates decided to do something to honour her. After considering a few options, he settled on an old tradition that has become relatively uncommon in recent times.
He contacted Summerside’s Anglican Parish of St. Mary and St. John and offered to buy two stained-glass windows for St. Mary’s, a small red-brick church at the corner of Church and Summer streets. One window would be in memory of Francie and the other would be dedicated to her parents, Wilfred and Frances Lecky.
Rev. Colin Nicolle distinctly recalls seeing that first email from Gates land in his computer's inbox. Someone offering to buy new windows for the church is not an everyday occurrence.
“It was a really lovely thing,” said Nicolle.
“And how do I say it? We’re kind of in an age when people are just not putting stained glass into churches anymore. We’re trying to heat them and keep the roof on. So, to be able to do this – I think it’s important, it’s art, it’s beautiful and it adds to this space and people’s experience of it. It’s a wonderful gift, but it’s certainly a rare thing.”
5 facts about St. Mary’s church
- Original wooden Church of St. Mary the Virgin opened at the corner of Summer and Church streets opened for worship in 1861
- The original structure burned down in the great fire of 1906, which destroyed eight city blocks
- The only items to survive the fire were the baptismal font, the church bell and one kneeling pad
- A new Gothic style church was rebuilt on the site in 1909 by George E. Baker
- The parish hall, adjacent to the church, was also designed by Baker and was built in 1927
Young love
Gates grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) when the Korean War broke out in 1950. He had graduated high school that same year.
He was promptly sent to P.E.I. to attend the RCAF Air Navigation School in Summerside, graduating in 1951.
He met Francie that year. They had both been "dragged" to a dance hall by friends.
“I saw her there, asked her to dance and I danced with her the whole evening. I took her home, got her telephone number and called her the following week. We went to a movie and the rest was history. I never saw anyone else ever again – she was for me,” said Gates.
Francie was born and raised in Summerside. Her family were prosperous business folk, heavily involved in the lucrative silver fox industry, Malpeque oysters and other entrepreneurial interests.
Though Gates was posted to 408 Squadron in Ottawa, he dutifully travelled to P.E.I. for almost every leave and stayed with the Lecky family in their stately home at 61 Granville Street in Summerside.
He made those trips for two years until he and Francie were married in 1953. They were both 20 years old.
Connections
Gates said he chose this donation for St. Mary’s because of how strongly Francie’s life was connected to the building.
They were married in the church and no matter where his career in the RCAF took them, they returned there to christen all three of their children.
The Lecky family all attended St. Mary’s, and Francie and her siblings had all been christened there.
Even though they lived all of their married life away from P.E.I., the Gates family still has a cottage on P.E.I. and would visit most years. Whenever they were on the Island, the couple would often go to St. Mary’s for services.
“Francie’s heart never left P.E.I.,” said Gates.
“Many times over the years I offered to take her on holiday on a cruise or to other exotic places. She always said her preference for holidays was to join the family on P.E.I. or in Saskatchewan where my family lived.”
5 facts about stained-glass
- Earliest known examples of human-made glass are Egyptian beads dated between 2,750 and 2,625 BC
- One of the oldest known examples of multi-piece coloured glass used in a window was unearthed at St. Paul’s Monastery in Jarrow, England, which was founded in 686 AD
- Though primarily associated with Christianity, stained-glass also has a long history in Islamic faith, starting in the thirteenth century
- Seen as a primarily Catholic art form, early Protestants initially shunned stained glass
- The earliest continuing glass studio in North America, Robert McCausland Ltd., was founded in 1850 in Toronto
Source: Stained Glass Association of America
Special gifts
After making contact with Gates, Rev. Nicolle had to do some research to find out exactly how to go about ordering a stained-glass window.
It was difficult because there aren’t that many studios capable of doing the work, he said, and fewer who do the style of glass that would fit with the existing windows in St. Mary’s.
He finally landed on the doorstep of Sattler’s Stained Glass Studio Ltd., in West LaHave, N.S. and was impressed with the concept drawings its artist sent back to him.
Once they had a studio lined up, they worked together on the designs.
St. Mary’s is not a large church and almost all of its large windows are already stained glass. So that left a few smaller options for them to work with.
They decided that a three-piece arched window directly above the church’s main entrance would honour Francie. It contains a Celtic trinity knot with the biblical scene of Jesus welcoming the children underneath it.
The second window is in a slender choir room alcove and honours Francie’s parents, Wilfred and Frances Lecky. It is a nod to the Lecky family’s history and has a pastoral theme with a silver fox and kits, rabbits, birds and rolling farmland. At the pinnacle of the piece is a depiction of the family’s 61 Granville Street home, with a ribbon wrapped around it and the bible quote “In my father’s house there are many mansions.”
Gates said he wanted to honour his in-laws because they showed him great kindness throughout their lives and Francie loved them very much.
“They were kind, thoughtful, people and outstanding parents in my view. It was a very happy and busy home with the welcome mat out to many. My time with them gave me an example of how people should live and function with others,” said Gates.
Dedication
Delivery of the windows was delayed due to COVID-19, but both were recently installed at St. Mary’s by a volunteer from the congregation.
They are a great addition to the church, said Nicolle, and the parish is grateful for the opportunity to help the Gates and Lecky families celebrate their loved ones.
“This is meant to be a place that you come to be lifted in some way, so if we have beautiful artwork that can do that for us that’s a good thing,” said Nicolle.
The parish is planning a ceremony to sanctify the artwork but is waiting until Gates and his children can come to the Island before they do so.
Gates is anxiously awaiting the day he can see the windows in person, though he has seen photos of them.
Francie would have loved them, he said – so he loves them too.
