1966-2016
It's with heavy hearts and great sadness that the family of Dr. Nicole Bourque announce her sudden and unexpected passing at her home in Glasgow, Scotland.
Nicole was born in Fredericton to George and Julia Bourque on July 25th, 1966. She graduated from Fredericton High School in 1984 and went to the University of New Brunswick where she completed a degree in Anthropology with First Class Honours. Her outstanding scholarship earned her a prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship which funded her pursuit of a PhD at the University of Cambridge (Girton College). She won an O'Brien Foundation award to fund her fieldwork in Ecuador which resulted in her outstanding thesis "Of Soups, Saints and Sucres".
She received her PhD in 1993 and joined the faculty in the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow, where she spent her whole career, her final position being that of Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology.
She was deeply committed to her work, her students, and her faculty colleagues. An open, friendly and caring person with a winning personality (and a good listener), her expansive knowledge and easy manner made her a stellar conversationalist. She was bubbling with life and made so many long-lasting friendships everywhere she went.
Apart from her life as a scholar, she was a free spirit who, the moment her work was done, loved to travel. Over the years she visited dozens of countries and became somewhat of a polyglot. She was a mountain climbing enthusiast and climbed mountains all over the world. She was only the second Canadian woman to climb all 282 Munros in Scotland and the first from New Brunswick to do so. Munros are mountains that are over 3000 feet in Hight (914 meters).
Nicole was very humble despite her many accomplishments, too numerous to mention here. Her passing leaves a big void at the University of Glasgow, and among her colleagues, students, friends and family.
Nicole is survived by her parents, George and Julia Bourque, her beloved siblings, Jacqueline Bourque (Bill Briggs) of Fredericton, Vaughan Bourque, of Fredericton, Dr. Christine Bourque (Joe MacDonald) of Ottawa, nieces Jordyn Bourque and Nicole Bourque, and nephews Vincent Briggs, Simon Briggs, Liam Briggs, all of Fredericton, James and Daniel MacDonald of Ottawa, and one grandnephew, Cypress Fletcher of Fredericton, and a large extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Visitation will be on Sunday, Nov. 6th, 2016, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at St Francis of Assisi Church, 2130, Route 102 (Lincoln Road). A celebration mass will be held on Monday, November 7th, at 12:00 noon, at the same location. Interment to follow in the St Francis of Assisi Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St Francis of Assisi Parish.