Jean Dorothy Campbell

Jean kept index cards, files and foolscap pages filled with funny sayings, questionable artwork, letters and stories of her children and grandchildren.

Now it is our chance to return the favour. To tell Jean's stories.

Jean Dorothy Campbell (nee Rowe) was born April 26, 1930 in Fergus, Ontario. She lived on a farm with her family of nine children, the  youngest being her sister Mary, who she leaves behind. Following high school, Jean went on to study nursing at Hamilton General Hospital.

In her late twenties , she met Gordon on a blind date and depending on whether it was Jean or Gordon recounting the events of that date, the facts varied slightly but the theme focused on how each felt the other was getting the better catch. Either way, the union lasted 54 years until Gord's death in October 2013.

Together, they lived in Toronto and raised 3 children, John, Janet and Nancy. Jean worked as a nurse both in Toronto and later as a public health nurse in Vancouver. No one Jean met escaped without a kind word, a thoughtful gesture or a safety recommendation.  We were taught to look both ways. To wear  our seat belt. We'd get our flu shots. Stay off motorcycles (mostly. Limit our salt intake. She showed her love through cautionary tales and reminders to buy good tires.

She loved the family cottage on Boshkung Lake in Haliburton, where she spent every summer for the past (almost) fifty years. She could be found working away on her crossword puzzles or making tea biscuits when she wasn't applying kid's sunscreen and explaining how casting a line with a hook can go horribly wrong if not done with care.

Jean volunteered for a number of organizations for a over the years. Much of this time was spent at her church helping in the nursery or  at the front desk with her dog Rosa by her side.

No story about Jean would be complete without mentioning hr otherworldly organization skills. Her files were neatly labelled and chronologically assembled. She made lists for everything. If you needed an address or phone number or notes from a meeting, Jean had them. They were comprehensive and at her finger tips. Since she never conquered the world of computers, we believe she did her share in keeping White-out and BIC in business.

To  us, she always she did the right thing. Even if it wasn't the path of least resistance. If someone in the street appeared to need help, she stopped. If a friend or a friend of a friend needed a place to stay, she would offer her home. Jean would call people by their name. It was important to her to learn and remember the names and faces of those who passed through her life.

There is joy to be found in having lived such a full and wonderful life that when the end comes, you are ready to go. We will miss her every single day. Jean died peacefully on February 12, 2018 in Vancouver. That day, it must be noted, was Gord's Birthday.

This summer there will be a church service at Zion United Church  in Carnarvon, Ontario. Date to be announced.

So Gord, hide your cigars and full fat ice-cream. Jean is on her way and she has some sorting out to do.