Jean began her career as a teacher in a one room schoolhouse teaching grades 1-8. She then moved to teaching elementary school in Hanover until she started her own family in 1955. She put her energy into being a full-time mother and homemaker.
She enjoyed cooking, baking, knitting and playing cards with family and friends as well as supply teaching in the Baden, New Hamburg and surrounding area.
In 1980 Ken & Jean retired to their beloved Pike Bay where they were involved with the legion, their church and most importantly their children and Grandchildren.
I first met Jean when she joined my Laughter Fitness session offered by the BDG SCWW (Senior Citizen Without Walls) Program set up by one of her neighbours and WOW Gal Sharron Colter.
In fact, she was the VERY FIRST person to join the group (with the techy help of her neighbour Karen) and seldom missed the twice weekly hour-long class. She sent me this testimonial just before she no longer could attend.
It was at the beginning of Covid-19 and she was already 92 years of age and soon learned the program so well she could have led the class and kept up better than some of the younger participants in the program with her. She continued right up until she entered the retirement home, even joining in from her hospital room as soon as she was able to sit up.
A home fall made it clear it was time to move from her beautiful Pike Bay home where she had lived and raised a family of 3 daughters with her beloved Ken for pretty much a lifetime. Being first a grandmother then a Great-Grandmother brought her much delight throughout the years when they would visit her.
Jean survived for a time alone with the help of her close neighbours who kept her family updated when they couldn’t be there. Her two closest friends and neighbours, Pat and Karen dined with her at least once a week and played cards with her after and often after laughter class as well. She and her husband had loved to play cards at home and at the Lion’s Head Legion. Her family, friends and neighbours made sure she could continue for as long as possible.
Jean was loved and will be missed by so many. Even in the short time I knew her it was evident that she was an AMAZING woman who both worked hard, remained open to learning new things and enjoyed her life fully.
Before we had our last laugh together, she got me hooked on playing Cribbage online. That is telling in itself… Jean, the then 95-year-old teaching a 70-year-old new things!
