The final chapter in Janus Angus "Jim" Hughson's book of life was written in the early morning of 8 February 2023, when Jim peacefully passed at the Chalmers hospital after a brief illness. This is not a sad chapter, as at the great age of 89 Jim had a book full of interesting chapters, mostly happy, and had outlived many of his friends and colleagues. He was born 7 December 1933 in Moncton New Brunswick to his engineer father, Horace, and his artist mother, Maxine. He had a vagabond childhood with his sisters Brenda and Heather and they grew up all over the Maritimes while their father was building RCAF aerodromes during World War II. Jim was a Lt Colonel in the Moncton cadet corps and a lifelong Boy Scout and leader.

After the war, the family put down roots in Fredericton and Jim graduated from FHS after a stellar rugby career and somewhat less successful hockey one. In high school, he was known to his friends as “Cuffer”; a nickname given to him by his friend Paddy Gregg.

Jim is an alumnus of UNB, but never loved academics. From early adulthood, he was more interested in industry and spent his early work life in construction and road building. He married his childhood sweetheart Lorna May Nason, from Oromocto NB, in Niagara Falls Ontario when he was working on the falls power tunnel project. He joined Canadian Liquid Air in Moncton NB and later Sydney NS, where he acquired a knowledge of the compressed gas and welding industry. He used this knowledge to start his own business: Valley Oxygen, which he founded with Lorna (the real Boss) in Fredericton in 1967. They ran this business for over 30 years and thought of their employees as more like family. A subsidiary of Valley Oxygen, Valox, was an early innovator in New Brunswick’s nascent agriculture industry.

Although busy as a small business owner, Jim found time to mentor young entrepreneurs, was an active member and later president of the Fredericton Rotary Club, past President of the Fredericton Pony Club, a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, and an active member of both the Miramichi Salmon Association and the Atlantic Salmon Federation. In his semi-retirement, he was the Executive director of the NB Roadbuilders Association.

Jim is survived by his wife of 68 years: Lorna; his son, Michael (Sharry) Fredericton; daughter, Susan, Vancouver, BC; four grandchildren Kynan (Michelle) Anchorage, Alaska; Max, Toronto; Emma, Vancouver; and Kate, Fredericton. He was happy to spend Christmas with his great grandson, Emrys, who visited from Anchorage. He was predeceased by his eldest daughter Catherine, who he loved and remembered all of his life. He took great interest in his children and grandchildren's academic, musical, and sporting pursuits and dragged Sue and her show horse Percy to every horse show, large and small, throughout the Maritimes.

Jim was a proud New Brunswicker and an active outdoorsman. He was one of the original builders of the scout lodge at Yoho Lake. He spent many happy hours snowmobiling with his buddy Fred Wood and many others. He was an ardent salmon angler and loved fishing with fellow devotees like Jack Fenety, Herbie Wade, Bud Bird, Babe Gagnon and the Cherry boys to name just a few. Now that the big fisherman has hung up his waders for the last time, he would appreciate those that remember him show the same care and love for the rivers of New Brunswick that he had.

Lorna’s long and productive life concluded at Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton on the morning of November 23, 2023 after a brief illness. Born in Oromocto NB to Rose and Frank Nason, Lorna was one of nine siblings. Predeceased by her infant daughter Catherine (1955); her husband Janus Angus (Jim) Hughson (February 2023), she is survived by her brother Osborne (Joanne); her children Michael (Sharry), Fredericton; daughter Susan, Vancouver; Grandchildren Kynan (Michelle), Anchorage AK; Max (Zoe), Toronto ON; Katheryn, Fredericton; Emma, Vancouver; and great grandson Emrys, Anchorage, AK.

Lorna’s early life in a large family revolved around farm and household chores including caring for her brothers and sisters: Bedford (Bud), Allan, Bessie, Austin, Joan, Rollie, Osborne and Yvonne. Although the family was poor, she had a rich and happy childhood according to brother Osborne: “because they didn’t know any different.” She was particularly fond of horses, but did not enjoy feeding the pig. The large bullfrog in Grammie Hunter’s well scared her every morning as she drew water and left her with a lifetime mistrust of amphibians. While her family did not have a lot of material extras, a hungry mouth or person in need was never turned from their door.

As a teen in Oromocto, Lorna and her friends would spend any spare time involved in youthful shenanigans on the West Road where she met her future husband: Jim (although she declared him “much too young” to be of interest). Lorna was a good student with a quick mind and a love of reading; however, necessity cut short her schooling as she worked to support herself and to help her family as a telephone operator at what would become NB Tel.

Lorna and Jim moved to Niagara Falls, Ontario to marry and find work: Jim at the Niagara Falls hydroelectric tunnels and Lorna at Rosberg’s Department Store. Returning to Oromocto in 1955 to start a family, illness would claim infant daughter Catherine at 8 months leaving a lifelong void for Lorna and Jim that was partially filled with the birth of son Michael (1957) and daughter Susan (1960).

Like many young families in the Maritimes in the 1960’s, good work could be evasive. Lorna and Jim moved from Oromocto to Moncton, then Sydney, Cape Breton and finally back to Fredericton where they established Valley Oxygen Ltd. They worked hard at this enterprise and Lorna was proud to know the name of every customer and the number and price of every item they sold. Their employees were regarded as family.

Her retirement years were as busy as her working years. She became an expert salmon angler along side Jim and fished every salmon river in New Brunswick and to Jim’s chagrin often out-fished him. She loved to skate at the Lady Beaverbrook Rink and found a good skating companion in Don Macauley. She was an active member of the Heritage Rug Hooking Guild: creating beautiful pieces for her family and friends, as well as enjoying the joke of being called a “hooker.” She happily volunteered at The Gift Box in the Chalmers Hospital putting her business experience to use raising money for the DECH Auxillary.

Despite her success in business, art and sport, it was her last wish that she be remembered as a “good Mom.” And that she was: a proud and fierce mother for Mike and Sue; a devoted and playful grandmother to Ky, Max, Emma and Kate and lately an adoring great-grandmother to the golden Emrys whom she hoped would live with her under her roof.