Jean Carefoot was born in her parent’s home at Eldorenou, Alberta on 3 June 1920. Upon graduating from boarding school where she worked to pay for her high school education, she managed to find work as a waitress, dishwasher and house-keeper in Edmonton. When the Canadian Women’s Army Corp, was created during WWII, she enlisted and trained as a switchboard operator. Posted to London, England she again met Gordon, her future husband whom she had met years earlier in Wasketenau, Alberta. As the CWAC began to be demobilized after the war, Jean became a homemaker and house builder. With Gordon and two other couples they built a house in Calgary, including the digging of the basement by hand. Her son Daniel was born a year after the house was livable. Gordon was then posted to Whitehorse where Patricia, their daughter was born. Jean sacrificed a few years of her life in the 1950’s to help Daniel recover from Polio. The result of her efforts was that her son was able to live a productive and ‘normal’ life. Jean returned to the army for a few years by joining the Militia, presently called the Reserves. After having returned to Calgary and later to Hartell, Alberta she and Gordon moved to Chilliwack, Gordon’s last posting. Having taken Industrial First Aid courses, they both ended up in Woss and Beaver Cove on Vancouver Island. Another retirement ten years later, Jean and Gordon returned to Chilliwack and began to travel, winding up in Yuma, Arizona for many winters, usually with three to seven of Jean’s Siblings and their spouses. She is survived by her brother Angus Plancher (Marj) in Victoria and her sister Sally Drew in Edmonton, her daughter Patricia and son Daniel. Jean died in the Cascade Hospice in Chilliwack on Saturday morning, 1 February 2020.
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