If you are a patron of Huntsville Public Library, Nancy Samuell’s face is probably a familiar one.  

“I love it at the library,” says the part-time circulation clerk.

“I’ve been there for over eight years now, and I enjoy the patrons so much,” she says. “There’s not a lot of time to chat, but I interact with lots of people and get to know them by name. I want everyone to feel welcome.”

Samuell confesses to having a soft spot for seniors, young parents with their children, and teenagers.

Of the latter, she says, “There’s so much potential there. They’re at the part of their life where they’re exploring different ideas and who they are as people.”

That may be one of the reasons Samuell also leads the  Huntsville High School Parent Council, although she has a different explanation: “I went to one too many meetings and ended up chair.”   

By the time kids are in high school, Samuell notes, they don’t generally want their parents around too much.

“But research shows that when parents are engaged in their children’s education, their children are more successful in school,” she says. “Going to the school council was a good way to stay connected with the school and what was going on.”

Samuell says she’d like to encourage more parents to join the group, which meets just five times a year.

“There’s no fundraising involved. You can ask questions, find out what’s happening, and put in agenda items you want to discuss with the principal,” she explains. “Our next meeting is Thursday, Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m. I hope some new people will come on out.”

Volunteers would also be appreciated for the school’s breakfast program. “It’s just from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m. and you can choose how often you want to help,” she says.

Samuell  keeps busy in many  other ways as well: one day a week she is the office administrator for an orthodontist’s office; the book club she started with friends just celebrated its 10th anniversary; she team-taught a Nipissing University course until last year; and she volunteers at the Algonquin Theatre and for her lake association.

Born in North York, Samuell spent part of every summer at her family’s cottage in Haliburton.

“I have always loved it there,” she says.

After going to university in Guelph and working in Toronto and Ottawa,  Samuell decided it was time to venture further afield. Then, while completing an MBA in Edmonton, she met her husband Brian and ended up staying 21 years.

She taught various management courses at a community college, but Samuell’s main focus became her two sons, Neville and Lloyd.   

“Once I had children I was determined to be there to enjoy them,” she explains.

In spite of the distance, Samuell continued spending part of every summer in Haliburton. Finally, during one visit, she woke up in the middle of the night and thought, “That’s what we need to do: move back.”

Samuell realized she had missed the lakes and really wanted to be closer to her mother, two sisters and brother, who lived in Ontario.

She phoned her husband the next day. Luckily, he had begun training with the Canadian Securities Institute to be an investment broker, a career which could be pursued almost anywhere.

The couple explored the area around Haliburton and decided on Huntsville.

“We thought it was a vibrant, interesting community,” Samuell says. They moved in May 1997, when the kids were 5 and 9.

It didn’t take long for Samuell to get involved.  

“I volunteered at my kids’ school,” she recalls, “and I joined the Newcomers’ Club. It was a great way to meet people.”

She says she is glad she and Brian chose Huntsville, adding, “I so enjoy the mix of people. There are so many talented people and such a variety. We are here to stay.”

Samuell pauses, thinking of the journey that has led her to where she is. “You could say I came full circle,” she says.