Jane Mac Ewan passed away on December 7th, 2023. Jane was the daughter of Dr. William and Georgina Mac Ewan, sister of Anne and David Price and Dr. Bill Mac Ewan and Jackie Muir. She left behind her husband of 45 years, Phil Knaiger, two daughters, Rachel Allk and Mieka Knaiger, three grandchildren, Justin Allk, Jamie Graham, and Jordan Wilson, two greatgrandchildren, Cooper and Evan, sister and brother in-law, Louise and Howard Shorr, as well as numerous nephews, nieces, cousins, in-laws and friends.
Jane’s family and friends deeply mourn her passing. She truly was a light in our lives and is greatly missed. Her extraordinary family is vast and colourful, consisting of many nationalities and religious backgrounds such as Christian, Jewish, and Indigenous Peoples. She loved and embraced us all unwaveringly so. We all loved her with great intensity.
Our home was always open to our family, and many lived with us for several years, sharing our small Kitsilano house with one bathroom and two bedrooms in the attic. Our daughter, Mieka, was adopted as an infant, and is a member of the Heilsuk Band, as is her son, Jordan. Her large extended family includes many others who have always been welcome in our home.
We have many cousins and friends in Los Angeles, whom we recently visited, and with whom we shared a Shabbat meal. We also acquired a large Polish family when Justin married Marianna.
Jane was born in Edmonton, but left as an infant to come with her mother to Vancouver, while her father, Dr. Bill MacEwan had a residency in England. She spent her youth and adolescence in Vancouver, spending summers in Point Roberts, Washington in their cottage by the sea. Her younger sister, Anne and her much younger brother, Bill all shared the seaside cottage. She loved the freedom she experienced among her friends at Freeman’s Beach, playing all day, and returning home at dinnertime. Crab and oyster feasts were common. Her beloved grandparents, Chrissy and Bumpa were neighbours. Her uncle and aunt and their children lived near and all played together. She always remembered those times as the idyll it truly was.
She attended UBC, majoring in Classics until she hit having to learn Ancient Greek and Latin. She loved the history and ancient literature, loved digging in the dirt for artifacts, but finally turned to the career in education that best suited her.
Jane was a successful teacher of Primary students, who loved her. Several former students have kept in touch with her well into their adult lives, and they have never forgotten her kindness, sympathy, and skill. When reading a story to her class, she always designated a student to finish the story for her when she became too teary to carry on.
As a teacher and fighter for social justice she was an active member in both the Vancouver Elementary Teachers’ Association, and the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation. She was on the executive board of VESTA, the bargaining team, and the grievance committee, as well as being a picket line coordinator and on the strike committee. For her efforts, Vesta presented her a Life Membership. For her work on behalf of her brothers and sisters in the union, the BCTF also presented her with a Life Membership.
After retirement she volunteered at The Learning Centre at Carnegie Community Centre in the Downtown East Side. She helped any person in need, from reading and writing, filling out forms, to teaching elderly Chinese who wanted to learn English so that they could communicate with their grandchildren.
She maintained links with teachers from the schools in which she taught; Hope Elementary, in Hope, BC, General Gordon and Roberts Annex in Vancouver, in particular. Many of the teachers active in union affairs still gather for outings and parties, and have always loved having Jane as part of the group.
After she married Phil in 1978, they continued to use their summers for travelling and trekking adventures in England, Scotland, and Wales, and many other parts of the world. All the grandchildren were taken for several weeks to Jasper, hiking all the trails, and ending with banana splits for their efforts. Each grandchild was brought to Paris, as they grew into their teens. Jane and Phil exchanged houses six times with families from Netherlands, Ireland, and England, as well as weekends in Seattle. Another summer they took two months to discover Central and Eastern Europe. On Phil’s retirement Jane took six months leave from teaching, and together they spent three months in Vietnam, and Cambodia, and three months in Europe,
setting down in an old farmhouse in Brittany, which they continued to use for two more summers. The travels didn’t stop there, as they explored Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Indonesia, Korea, and many other countries. When friends of theirs who lived in Paris in a lovely apartment in the 19th looked for cat sitters for a month, they jumped at it, and summered in Paris over a ten year span. Who could say no to a free apartment in Paris, and also do a favour for a friend?
We shall all miss Jane’s friendly smile, her kindness to everyone, her family meals, her celebrations of holidays, Christian, Jewish, and Indigenous, her loving ties with all of her many families, her love of dancing, opera, and music of all sorts.
Grateful thanks to the staff of St. Paul’s Palliative Care Unit, and to the support of members of the family who stood by her bedside in her last moments.
We would appreciate donations to Shalva, an Israeli school for disabled children. Check out their website for more information. Canadian donations made to: Canadian Friends of Shalva can receive a tax donation credit, Americans can donate to American Friends of Shalva
A Celebration of Life will be held on May 26, 2024 at the University Golf Course, 5185 University Blvd, Vancouver from 1;00PM to 4:00PM, with tributes held at 2:00PM. A light lunch and beverages will be provided.
ALL JANE’S FAMILIES AND FRIENDS ARE INVITED
(Please let others who may be interested, and whom I may not have reached, know of this obituary and the Celebration of Life event. This obituary can be accessed through Kearney Mortuary web site.)
Her loving husband of 45 years,
Phil Knaiger
We will all miss Jane, whose gaiety, dedication, and devotion we so treasure.