Jean H. Hergott

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend.

Jean was born January 14, 1926 in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan. In 1929 Jean travelled west to Abbotsford, BC with her parents and her older brother Willie in the family's unreliable Model T Ford, towing a trailer across Saskatchewan and Alberta, over the Kicking Horse Pass, to get to Abbotsford. During the Depression years, the family struggled like many others, and they soon had to move across the river to Silverdale in order to survive, where the family picked strawberries for a Japanese grower. In the mid-1930's, with hard work and a bit of luck in finding regular work helping to build the electrical power dam at Ruskin, her father managed to save enough money to purchase property for clearing and build a house. Just before World War II began, Jean's father opened Montrose Tailors in downtown Abbotsford, where she helped him with the hemming.

Jean graduated from Philip Sheffield High School in 1943 and was known for her artistic ability, but she decided to leave the small Fraser Valley town to pursue her nurses’ training at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, along with her school chum Belle Higginson (Breakey). Being in the big city and without her family Jean soon made friends with her classmates and got into some fun - like the time Jean, Belle and a few others were late getting back to their residence and their classmates were able to sneak them in through the back stairway before Mother Superior checked their beds for lights out. Jean graduated with the class of 1947 and continued working in the hospital for a short while. On her nights off she would often meet up with her brother Bill and his future wife Helen to go dancing in the local dance halls. On February 6, 1951 the day her brother Bill got married she was introduced to his handsome and dashing best man, a fellow by the name of Bert. They were soon courting and were married in Vancouver on May 17, 1952 with Henry Hildebrandt standing in for best man.

She and Bert lived in numerous houses in Vancouver, purchasing one, fixing it up and then selling it, only to begin again. You could call them the original house flippers!

Over the years Jean and Bert met many life long friends - Bill and May, Vince and Lil, Henry and Selma, Abe and Esther, Marge and John, Keiji and Barbara, Wilf and Kay, and Rudy and Alice. Jean also kept in close contact with Belle and all her other nursing comrades. For many years she and her nursing classmates would host a wonderful Father’s Day picnic for their families.

They had their first child, Maureen in October 1959. Five years later In December 1964, their second daughter Rosanne arrived completing the family. Jean was a stay at home mother, but she was always busy, taking care of the family and rooming house at 1200 West 10th Avenue, in Vancouver until 1986. For extra money she became an Avon Representative and it became her tradition at Christmas time, to bake goodies and give Avon as gifts to the tenants. She and Rosanne, who was born on that day, would often stay up late on Christmas Eve wrapping gifts and delivering them door to door, pretending to be Santa. Jean and family often spent seasonal holidays with her brother Doug and with Bill and his family. She enjoyed showing her daughters how to sew and bake just like her parents taught her, passing down favourite family recipes like plum dumplings and pear pie. Inheriting her love of sewing, she created many matching outfits for her daughters, including Easter bonnets.

Jean was a member of the Catholic Women’s League at St. Augustine’s Parish in Vancouver for many years. After Maureen was in Girl Guides for a few years, Jean was asked if she would test the girls taking their sewing badge, which she thought would be a lovely way to pass on her love of sewing. When Rosanne joined Girl Guides, Jean got even more involved and helped with fundraising, storing cases of Girl Guide Cookies, and also attended Girl Guide camps as the camp nurse at Camp Olave, on the Sunshine Coast. During the summers Jean and Bert would pack up the tent trailer and take the girls to explore parts of B.C. and Alberta. They would cover many miles and visit cousins in Buick Creek.

In 1967, along with her husband Bert, her brother Bill and wife Helen and friend Brian Hawkins, they purchased a 10 acre farm in Haney. They spent over a year fixing it up and clearing the land of blackberry bushes - oh the stories they would tell! In 1969 they rented the farmhouse out to a nice couple, Rudy and Alice Malkoske who had just moved out to BC from Winnipeg with their young family. Who would have known that they would be friends to the end, even travelling together?

In their later years, Jean and Bert travelled around the globe, including China, Cuba, a Panama Canal Cruise, Alaska Cruise, and a cruise down to Cape Horn where they stopped in Argentina and were able to meet Jean’s long lost cousin Draho. She also visited parts of Europe including, London, Holland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, and Germany during the time when the Berlin Wall came down.

When the girls had grown and moved out of the house, Jean was able to rekindle her lost passion for drawing and painting. She created many beautiful paintings, some donated for fundraisers and others dearly treasured hanging in the homes of her daughters, extended family and friends.

Jean was blessed with four grandchildren, Thomas, Kaitlyn, Rachel and Gillian who she helped care for, guide and shape with her gentleness. In 2002 her grandchildren wrote; “When you smile you make the world as bright and shiny, like a pot of gold at the end of a beautiful rainbow. When people are around you they feel so at peace - like floating in heaven on clouds.”

In 2005 she moved with Bert into the Mulberry Residence in Burnaby where she enjoyed many activities and met new friends. After Bert’s death last year she spent the remainder of her time at the Carlton Garden residence in Burnaby.

Jean lived with Alzheimer's Disease for more than 15 years, and it was a heart wrenching journey for her and her family to live through. However, even in this sad journey she taught us lessons in graciousness:

Show the people you love how happy you are they came to see you; give them your best smile; give them lots of hugs, and gentle touches as they do wonders for their soul; make them feel special; colouring is a form of art at any age; treat every day as a new beginning, and finally, always say "thank you for your visit and do come back again".

Jean we will miss you deeply and you will be remembered in our hearts forever. God has opened his arms and you now rest in peace in his welcoming kingdom.

* * * * * * * * * *

Hergott (Fibish) – Jean Helen

Born January 14, 1926 in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, Jean passed

away peacefully on June 22, 2010 at the Carlton Gardens residence

in Burnaby. She lived with Alzheimer’s disease for many years

and her courageous journey has ended.

Predeceased by her husband Albert (Bert) Hergott, her brother

William Fibish, Jean is survived by her brother Douglas Fibish;

two loving daughters Maureen (David) and Rosanne (Doug); and

her four beloved grandchildren Thomas, Kaitlyn, Rachel and

Gillian.

Jean travelled West with her parents and brother William to

Abbotsford, BC in 1929. After many years her father was able to

start a tailor shop, where she helped him with the hemming. A

nursing graduate of St. Paul’s Hospital in 1947,

she met her husband Albert (Bert) in 1951. They were married for

57 years.

Jean was a member of the Catholic Women’s League at St.

Augustine’s Parish for many years, and was an avid knitter and

seamstress, making many outfits for her daughters. She spent her

later years painting landscapes and with her gentle way, helped to

care for her grandchildren. She also loved to travel the globe with

her husband Bert.

As her Alzheimer’s progressed, she was always happy and

gracious with visitors, and every day was greeted with a

wonderful sense of discovery. God now opens his arms to her to

rest in peace in his welcoming Kingdom.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the

Alzheimer’s Society of BC, 300 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver,

BC V5Z 1E2.

In appreciation… The family would like to express our gratitude

for your kindness, evident in thought and deed, by your

attendance at this service. We would also like to thank all the

wonderful staff at Carlton Gardens for their excellent care.