Bain, Emily Olive (Tatamagouche) - Avid gardener, educator, philosopher and friend, died peacefully on March 6, 2021 at Willow Lodge Home for Special Care in Tatamagouche after a very full life of nearly 101 years.  She was predeceased by her parents, Fred and Violet MacNab; brothers, Wallace and Bruce; husband, James Bain; son, David.  She is survived by son, Avery (Nancy); sister, Doris MacLachlan; four grandchildren; six great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews.  Emily spent her formative years in River John before moving to New Glasgow where she lived and taught for over eight decades.  Born just as the second wave of the Spanish flu ravaged Nova Scotia, Emily seemed destined to show the world that tragedy is not permanent and how one fills the time between tragedies defines the life of an individual.  Equally motivated to cherish humility and charity was she to admonish vanity and greed.  Those blessed by her teaching knew this moral code well.  A life long learner, Emily saw education as the great liberator and books as its guiding force.  Through scholarships and dogged-determination she put herself through Teachers College at a time when women were expected to be totally devoted to domestic affairs.  With the same determination, she crafted inspiring lesson plans for her many students of all ages in the public-school setting and after retirement in her own home.  The consequences of her labour spawned glowing testimonies from her former students that she never shared, but were often overheard.  Through her many years of teaching, she developed strategies that she continually employed and can be documented in statements.  "Always enter a teaching situation prepared and planned.  Always ensure your students know who is in charge, choose your battles carefully.  Never place a student in a situation they cannot escape."  Although her years of teaching elementary students in a regular classroom brought her satisfaction, it was not until she earned her diploma in music education that she also experienced joy in her career.  Such devotion and inspiration is best captured by the words of Plato whose thoughts bear timeless relevance and show us the way forward in the now troubled times.  "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything."  A celebration of Emily's life will be held when wild flowers bloom and people can congregate.  There will be music.  Arrangements have been entrusted to Coulter's Funeral Home, Tatamagouche.  Online condolences can be sent to the family by visiting the funeral home website at: www.mmcfunerals.com