WOW Gal Angel
Jessie Isobel (Allin) MacKenzie
Jessie was born on August 17, 1912. She grew up with a love for learning! Jessie received her matriculation (education) and continued her studies at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ontario where she became a registered nurse.
Jessie worked at the Wingham General Hospital assisting patients in the chronic care unit. Helping others brought her joy. She was an active resident in her home town of Lucknow, Ontario where she continued to help those in need within the community.
During her time with the St. Joseph's Hospital, she found her passion in music and would contribute to their musical program with the nuns. She spent many years studying music and received her ARCT in piano and also studied voice.
Jessie enjoyed presenting public talks on the Royal Family. She would spend hours compiling albums of newspaper clippings and information on Princess Elizabeth and all events leading up to her coronation. Jessie traveled to many women's groups and organizations to present on the Royal Family and she knew how to engage her audiences.
Around 1957, her hometown of Lucknow Ontario was hosting a community reunion called "The Lucknow Old Boys and Girls Reunion" where she and her father were very instrumental in the planning and preparation of this exciting event. She and her Dad were on various committees. Jessie was also an active member of the library and school boards within her community. Being a very musical gal Jessie shared her talents through piano! She would play for church, funerals, weddings and even the local
dancing school. She absolutely loved sharing music and nursing, and when she was doing these things, she felt like she was doing what she was meant to and was in her glory! Jessie's life was full of many experiences and she truly made a difference. She transitioned to heaven on February 28, 1980.
Fond memories of her or spending time with her...
I have many fond memories of being together with my mother such as going for walks before bedtime, visiting friends and relatives while drinking tea with lots of milk and sugar and it brings me a chuckle when I remember her saying during our walks together "Always eat carrots and spinach. It will help you to see the dark!!".
Other memories:
• In my early teens, we visited family out West. Flying in an airplane for the first time and seeing mountains was such a great experience for me! We had a really good time together.
• We would rent little log cabins and would stay for a weekend play on the beach. There was a very small restaurant on this beach where I had my first Western sandwich with her and my brother Russ.
• On Sunday's, we would go for a drive, pack a picnic lunch and spend the day at the beach swimming, walking on the pier and spending some family time together.
• I enjoyed playing piano duets with her. One time, we even entered a talent show where she, my brother and I all played together. I sat on the left, she was in the middle and my brother Russ was on the right. To be funny, we would switch up and move positions right during the song in which everybody laughed!
• In her later years, she came to live with us on our farm for approximately one year. I have fond memories of this time together as we had lived apart in different cities for several years. During this time, we became close once again as mother and daughter. I'm very grateful for this.
My mother was a mentor to me and taught me many things. She taught me valuable life lessons that I have always brought forward with me and a few of these are:
Life Lesson #1: I was always taught to respect my elders and to always treat others as I would want to be treated. When growing up, I feel those were good lessons to learn. I've learned that parents know a heck of a lot more than their kids think they do. There are so many times where I wish I could go back and say "I'm sorry", "I shouldn't have done that” or "I wished it would have worked out differently.” She taught me that this is all part of the process of living life. We may wish things could be different but the past is the past and this cannot be changed because it's already happened. But what we can do is build our future from the lessons we learned from our past. My mother taught me that parents understand that this is part of the process of growing up and becoming a mature adult.
Life Lesson #2: She taught me commitment and responsibility. For example, when I was a very young girl, I was given a library card and when I borrowed three books, it was my responsibility to return them to the library upon their due date. I feel that I've learned to meet my obligations and to become a responsible person from her teaching.
Life Lesson #3: She taught me how to be in front of the public and perform through playing piano and dance. I was often asked to play piano solos and because of her teaching, I was able to do so with ease and feel comfortable being in the public eye.
I feel very thankful for my mother and for all who helped mold me into who I am today. She experienced a lot through her life including open heart surgery at a very young age, a leg amputation with many health declines. Throughout all this time, I never heard her complain. That's a big lesson right there!
"Always be thankful for what you have". Thank you, Mom for teaching me this xo.
Contributed by Daughter, Mary (Maurie) Haines