When the Halifax Explosion occurred on December 6, 1917 Marjorie Faulkner was just two months old and living in north end Dartmouth. She was asleep upstairs in her crib at the time of the blast. The staircase between the levels in her home was knocked down by the force and family members weren’t able to get to her right away. When they did, they found the window near her crib had shattered and several pieces were lying in the crib. Marjorie suffered only a few minor cuts and didn’t seem to be bothered at all by the events that had just transpired.
Marjorie is the oldest of 11 children and has two sisters still living; one in Dartmouth and the other in the US. She was like a second mother to her siblings but also enjoyed being a member of the North Star Rowing Club. In her teens, she paddled the war canoe; a hobby that would lead her to her future husband, Edward Andrews. Edward also paddled war canoe and one night, at a club dance, he asked to walk to her home. Of course, Marjorie said yes and the couple has been together ever since. In fact, they celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary last October.
After they were married, she and Edward lived in downtown and north end Dartmouth before building a house on Waverly Road. Edward worked for 20 years at the Halifax Shipyards as a machinist and an engineer, then as a foreman at the Halifax Dockyards. Marjorie was a stay-at-home mom to their four children: Nancy, Ted, Carolyn and Wayne. The couple also lived in Port Hawkesbury for 12 years after Edward purchased a small shipyard. When Edward sold the shipyard, the couple returned to Dartmouth where he became a manager at National Sea.
Marjorie enjoyed many activities throughout her adult life, such as curling and bowling. She was also very artistic and loved doing needlepoint, crocheting and painting. Marjorie worked at her church on various committees and has always been someone that everyone has liked.
Marjorie and Edward own a cottage in Pugwash and have been going there nearly every summer for the past 30 years. Together they have 13 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” said Edward. “We’ve always respected each other so much.” The couple currently lives in the basement of the house they bought in 1975. Their son Wayne lives upstairs. Marjorie has Alzheimer’s disease, but Edward still takes care of her with daily help from Northwood.