New Brunswick

Mrs. Greta Steeves of Elgin, New Brunswick, was the 1980 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 1980, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On July 7, 1941, her son, Sergeant John Chesley Steeves, died during a training exercise in Northern Scotland while serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

On October 14, 1945, a second son, Lance Corporal Russell Weldon Steeves, died from injuries sustained while serving with the Carleton and York Regiment.

Mrs. Greta Steeves was born on March 27, 1896 in Meadow, New Brunswick. She married Chesley Weldon Steeves. Together they raised their ten children-- Marguerite, Ethel, Phyllis, Russell, John, Albert, Vincent, Lee, Richard and Stephen.

Mrs. Ida Orser of Hartland, New Brunswick, was the 1992 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 1992, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On February 28, 1945, her son, Sergeant Ivan Malcolm Orser, was killed in action in Calcar, Germany while serving with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.

Ida Elizabeth Orser, née Loupin married George Bliss Orser. They had five children, Ivan Malcolm, Gerald George, Eldon Reginald, Geraldine Kathryn and Elizabeth Anna Marie.

Mrs. Orser joined the Ladies Auxiliary in January 1936, one year after the Auxiliary Charter. She was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Life Membership and Certificate of Merit in recognition of her faithful Service.

Mrs. Mabel Girouard, from Bathurst, New Brunswick, was the 2010 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2010, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On November 27, 2006, her son, Chief Warrant Officer Robert Michel Girouard, serving as the regimental sergeant major for the 1^st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group, was killed by a suicide car bomber while on duty near Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Mrs. Girouard was born in Bouctouche, New Brunswick, and attended Bouctouche High School. In August 1959, she married Vincent Girouard and they had three children, Pierre Joseph, Charles Vincent and Robert Michel.

Mrs. Girouard is retired from New Brunswick Telephone where she was employed as a telephone operator and office worker.

Mrs. Gisèle Michaud, of Edmundston, New Brunswick, was the 2014 National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother and the fifth mother from New Brunswick to be named by the Royal Canadian Legion. During the national Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on November 11, 2014, she laid a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who have lost a child in military service to Canada.

On June 23, 2009, her youngest son, Master Corporal Charles-Philippe Michaud, was mortally wounded after stepping on an improvised explosive device while on patrol in the Panjwayi District, southwest of Kandahar City, Afghanistan. He was transported to a Québec City hospital on June 28, 2009 and passed away on July 4 of that same year. Master Corporal Charles-Philippe has an older brother, Denis.

Mrs. Michaud was born and raised in Edmundston, New Brunswick. In 1971, she married Conrad Michaud. She worked in retail, but is now retired.

She has undertaken a number of activities to honour her son’s memory. She has hosted large delegations of soldiers from Master Corporal Michaud’s battalion in Edmundston on each anniversary of her son’s passing and on Remembrance Day. Mrs. Michaud, accompanied by her husband and her eldest son, travelled to Kandahar in November 2010.

Debbie Sullivan grew up in the countryside near Saint John, New Brunswick. She had two energetic children and rewarding work as a crisis counsellor, a truck driver and service in the Canadian Army Reserve. 

As the National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother, Mrs. Sullivan laid a wreath at the National War Memorial on 11 November 2020 on behalf of all Canadian mothers who have lost a son or a daughter in the military either in action or in the course of his/her normal duty. Throughout the year she will also be called upon to perform other duties honouring the Fallen from all conflicts.

She lost her son, Lieutenant Chris Saunders, on October 6, 2004, while he served with the Navy.

As a young girl, Debbie was a member of the Westfield United Church and choir, Canadian Girls in Training (CGIT) and Sea Cadets. She graduated from Rothesay Regional High School and pursued legal secretarial studies at Compu College in Saint John. Her son Christopher, was born in 1972 and her daughter Melissa a few years later.

When her children were young, Debbie volunteered helping seniors run businesses, pay bills, and network to get the help they needed. Later as a crisis line counsellor and member of a multi-disciplinary task force on crisis intervention, she volunteered with the Rothesay Regional and Saint John Police Departments. Debbie served in the Army Reserves from 1990-1994 working on administration, logistics, and recruiting.

While in Halifax to receive the Silver Cross, Debbie met with her son’s former mates and peers who performed a special ceremony to make her an honourary submariner – a true thrill for her. “My husband and I know that with young men and women like them, we are in good shape for the future”.

Maureen Anderson grew up in Derby, New Brunswick, but Oromocto is now home. She was born in England and was barely a toddler when her parents moved to Canada in 1947. Her English mother was a war bride who met her Canadian father while he was serving in Europe during the Second World War. Maureen was the oldest of seven children and helped look after her siblings from a very young age. She had always wanted to be a nurse and attended what was then the Moncton Technical Institute and graduated as a registered nursing assistant – now often called a licensed practical nurse.  

She worked at the National Defence Medical Centre and lived at the former Canadian Forces Base Rockcliffe. One of her patients turned out to be her late husband Peter Anderson – an Army Veteran who later became a Sargeant Major and retired as a Master Warrant Officer. When the two married, Maureen had to step down from her job with the Air Force because of the working regulations at the time. She and her husband raised two children: Ron and his younger brother Ryan. Both would grow up to follow in their father’s footsteps, joining the military as soon as they could, even before finishing High School.

As the National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother, Mrs. Anderson will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial on 11 November 2024 on behalf of all Canadian mothers who have lost a son or a daughter in the military either in action or in the course of his/her normal duty. Throughout the year she will also be called upon to perform other duties honouring the Fallen from all conflicts.

She lost her son Sergeant Ron Anderson due to an accumulation of tragic experiences overseas which led to Ron taking his own life in 2014. Upon his return from his second tour in Afghanistan, he had changed. He wanted to be alone and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her son Ryan’s mental health deteriorated faster after his tour in Afghanistan. He too was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Ryan’s health took another downturn fairly quickly after his brother’s passing, and he grew more isolated as well. He passed away in 2017.

Ron Anderson

Sergeant Ron Anderson was a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment. He served in locations including Petawawa, Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo and had two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

Born on May 27, 1974 in Lahr, Germany, the country where his parents were living at the time, Ron knew what he wanted to do from an early age. A very active and energetic youngster, one precursor to his later desire to enlist was a favourite pastime he shared with his younger brother Ryan. “As kids, they played war games,” she recalls. Ron began in cadets, then jointed the militia in Nova Scotia, and later trained in Gagetown, New Brunswick, becoming a member of The Canadian Army.

While her sons rarely spoke of their roles and actions in the forces, including when they served overseas, they were clearly affected by their experiences. She believes an accumulation of tragic experiences overseas led to Ron taking his own life in 2014. Upon his return from his second tour in Afghanistan, she says he had changed. He wanted to be alone. He was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

One bright memory Maureen shares is how Ron had been awarded a commendation for having saved the life of an injured little boy while in Afghanistan, and under deadly circumstances. “He performed First Aid, and I guess he was surrounded by Afghans with all these guns pointed at him,” she recounts. His actions in the face of danger that day don’t surprise her. “That would be him,” she says. “He was a rough, tough guy, that wouldn’t bother him.”

But Ron never told his parents he had received the award, she learned of it only after his passing. “He was very proud, he did not want any scene, any big fanfare,” she says. She and her late husband later received the certificate that came with his commendation and hung it with pride in their home.

Ron had four children at the time of his passing. His son Bryce is now serving with The Canadian Army.

Ryan Anderson

Sergeant Ryan Anderson was a member of The Royal Canadian Regiment. He served in Gagetown and Yellowknife and in various places overseas such as Bosnia, Ethiopia, Haiti and also in Afghanistan alongside his older brother Ron. 

Born on February 19, 1979 in Oromocto, New Brunswick and just about as active as his brother, Ryan was into martial arts. He trained in Taekwondo and Karate, and he did well, says his mother. He also knew at an early age what he wanted to do. He joined the militia in Nova Scotia as soon as he could, then trained in Gagetown, New Brunswick becoming a member of The Canadian Army.

Maureen describes how both her sons’ personalities changed upon their return from Afghanistan. They were not as jubilant, funny, or happy like they used to be. They were kind of “quiet” and she noticed Ryan’s mental health deteriorated faster, with his condition also affecting other parts of his life. He too was diagnosed with PTSD.

She remembers the effects of PTSD well, and how Ryan who lived in the same complex, would sometimes call her for a visit in the middle of the night. She always said yes. 

“And I would get out of bed and go over to his apartment and get some coffees and just sit with him and listen to him.” Sometimes they would just watch music videos. “Sometimes he would cry and I’d say ‘what’s wrong’ and he would say ‘I don’t know’… I don’t regret that, thankfully I did that,” she says.

Maureen relates how Ryan’s health took another downturn fairly quickly after his brother’s passing, and he grew more isolated as well. He passed away in 2017. Both Ryan and his brother had been receiving help for their PTSD conditions before they passed.

Ryan had two children at the time of his passing.