Obituary of George Ronald Henaut

George Ronald Henaut George Ronald Henaut was born in Stellarton on July 11, 1944, the son of Emile and Oliva (Mascaux) Henaut. He was predeceased by a brother, Emile Jr. He is survived by his beloved wife, Pauline Marion (King) Henaut; nephews Bruce (Cristina) Henaut (Ontario) and Barry Henaut (Ontario), in-laws: Susan (Clare) King-Darby, Truro, John (Cindy) King and family, Alberta, and extended family. George was blessed with friends who enriched his life. He graduated from the Nova Scotia Teachers College, St. Francis Xavier University (BA, BEd, Master of Arts in Teaching) and the University of Toronto (Master of Arts , MEd). In 1972 while attending the University of Toronto, he met Pauline, his soul mate; together they shared their passion for their Christian faith and ministry, family, friends, the arts, gardening, travelling, and hospitality. The cornerstone of their faith was expressed in John 3:16; throughout his life he sought to Know God, Love God, Live God, Share God. George had an abiding interest in language - its power and its beauty. His career as an educator provided many opportunities to enhance and share this passion with others. He wrote, directed and produced thirty dramas for audiences. His dramas and short stories (The Ebb and Flow: The Dream Continues) were influenced not only by life on the Atlantic seaboard, but also by his Christian spirituality and appreciation of traditional family values. All of these influences culminated in his first novel, With Love, With Connie, which revealed his enduring appreciation of the music of Connie Francis. John Donatelli Jr. a webmaster for a major Connie Francis website said of the novel:"Even if you're not a fan of singer Connie Francis, this is a heartwarming, romantic story of the struggles and triumphs that only love can endure and conquer.” For over 20 years, he was a high school English teacher; sharing his love of language and literature with his students. His Shakespeare Symposiums involved all of his students in a celebration of the arts. He co-authored with Dr. Patrick Walsh an English handbook, English Essentials, which was used as a resource in school and public libraries as well as classrooms and homes. In 1986, he received an award from the Westville Heritage Group and the Grade 12 Class recognizing his contribution to school life, in particular, his leadership in the publication of Celebrating Our Heritage: The History of Westville. For eight years he worked as a curriculum supervisor for the Pictou District School Board, initiating numerous language related programs to enhance student writing, oral development, and library research. He authored such educational publications as: English Language Arts: A Brochure for Parents, Writing Research Handbook for Students, Public Speaking Brochure, Balance in Education, etc. In 1992, he received the Canadian School Executive Award for his valuable contribution to school libraries. He contributed to the creation of Nova Scotia Department of Education language arts documents and served as in-service presenter throughout the province. George was a founding member of Acts Theatre Society: Ministry of Drama serving as chair and artistic director. As a playwright, he wrote and directed such dramas as: The Mystery of Faith, The Jesse Tree, A Dickens Christmas, Westville On Stage, Trenton On Stage and New Glasgow On Stage. He also wrote, directed and produced numerous dinner theatres featuring a fictional Canadian entertainer Barbara Bonkers and her nemesis Horace Wingfield these were staged at Pictou Lodge, Piper’s Landing, in various church halls and school auditoriums. He wrote, directed and produced annual Good Friday dramas with music at First Baptist Church, New Glasgow. All of the original dramas featured music to enhance the drama message. Pauline and George composed numerous songs to enrich their presentations; the most popular song, “The Perfect Gift” featured this chorus: “Though we may have abundant wealth, possess all things that people want, Unless we give, we’ll not receive. We’ll have not love, the perfect gift”. He was made an honourary citizen of the town of Westville for his contribution to the town’s centennial program and received recognition from the towns of Trenton and New Glasgow for his tribute in drama to the respective towns. He served on the Board of Directors and as editor of the newsletter for the deCoste Performing Arts Centre; he received a lifetime membership in recognition of his contribution to the Centre. He served on the executive of the Pictou County Prostate Group. For several years he wrote a monthly column for The New Glasgow News, “Community Matters”, in which he celebrated life in Pictou County. George enjoyed designing and sharing greeting cards, calendars, slideshow presentations and personalized gifts for family and friends. George and Pauline enjoyed travelling, especially within the Maritime Provinces and on Holland America cruises to ports within North America, the Caribbean and Europe. He enjoyed their gallery of paintings featuring watercolours by Jack Turner (Pauline’s grandfather), Sue King-Darby (Pauline’s sister) and Pictou County artists. He enjoyed gardening and home decorating, and extending the gift of hospitality to family and friends. Pauline and George’s New Glasgow home was featured on Christmas tours; their garden received local, provincial and national recognition. In later years at The Willow apartments he enjoyed baking and sharing pies, tarts and other sweet with recipes inspired by his mother and mother-in-law. Pauline and George enjoyed hosting open houses and concerts for the Willow residents. He was a founding member of the Pictou County Chapter of the Order of St. Luke healing ministry and served on the executive for a number of years. In his varied church ministry in Pictou County, he provided leadership in local church councils, Sunday School, prayer groups, lay reading, and website management. He was an avid supporter of Threshold Ministries, Canadian Bible Society, Salvation Army, the Leprosy Mission of Canada, and various Mission Charities. He devoted much of his spare time to ministries that proclaim Jesus Christ as a living presence in a contemporary world and was a strong supporter of ecumenism. Donations may be made to the above-mentioned charities VON ,Canadian Red Cross or any charitable organization. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday August 4th at 11 A.M. from the H.W.Angus Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. John Dunnett officiating . The family will receive visitors from 10A.M. until time of the service at 11 A.M. A reception will follow the service in the funeral home. Burial will follow the reception in the Christ Church Cemetery Stellarton. Funeral Service Recording https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/03fytws5y5nykv6q1fuc4/George-Henaut.mov?rlkey=s92jas01fynqlljikb9t8oxhx&dl=0