Jean Alberta Lawrence

Jean Lawrence was born May 12, 1939 to Earl and Nora Whynot. They lived in Milton Queens County N.S. She was the eldest of two kids. She went to Milton Regional High School where she graduated. Her parents owned a grocery store and afterschool, her and her brother Les would work at the store to help out. Her parents also owned a farm where they had horses and ponies where Mom and Uncle Les would do chores.

When she graduated from High School, she went on to go to college where she took up being a receptionist and we learned later on that she was called “quick call mc-draw” on the typewriter. After she graduated college, she enlisted in the armed forces. Using her skills as a typist, she helped out wherever she was needed. She was with the armed forces for a couple of years. While in the armed forces, she met and married Leo Lawrence who was in the merchant marines at the time. They had a daughter named Tammy.

In 1963 when Tammy was 9 months old, they moved to Port Alberni, BC where our mother stayed until her last breath. Three and a half years after moving to Port Alberni, they had a daughter named Paddy and then a year later they had a son named Benjamine (Ben). After thirty years of marriage, Jean and Leo got divorced. A few years later, she was set up on a blind date with Ray Vanhullebush, her soulmate and love of her life. They were together up to his passing in April of 2019.

Ray owned a farm that our mom would eventually move in to. They loved to entertain and have parties because they loved their family and friends. It was fun watching my mom doing her daily chores at the ages of 60 – 70 years, chasing after the chickens so she could pluck their feathers, raising cows and feeding them, but our favorite thing was watching her putting on her old rubber boots and gloves to go collect the eggs for the day. They also loved going to Solda’s Restaurant every Friday for French onion soup and liver and onions, going to the Harbor Quay for ice cream, and to listen to the bands that happened to be playing that day. They also had four to five dogs together and they were all called Sandy.

Our mother liked to travel. From us being young children and travelling from BC to Novia Scotia by train was one of the happiest moments that we had as children with our mother. She also loved to go on cruises. She went on an Alaskan cruise with Teara Marie, her granddaughter, where they had a great time and got to know each other better. She and Ray also went on two cruises with Ben and Partner where she thoroughly enjoyed herself especially swimming with the dolphins.

After us kids got older, Mom got a job working at Fields up-town on 3rd Avenue. When it closed down, she worked at the one in the mall on Johnson Rd. By the time Fields closed down, our Mom had worked herself up to being assistant manager. After the shop closed, she went on to work at the Shell station on 10th and Redford. She was the book keeper there and also customer service. She worked there until she retired. But retirement wasn’t in the cards for her as she went into working down at the Harbor Quay and from there she went on to nanny for a family. With all the jobs she had, there was always a common denominator and that was her. Her zest for life, her ability to make people feel loved and cared by her loyalty to her friends and family and of course her twinkle in her eyes and that smile that could light up a room. That is why so many people remembered her after her Fields days and gas station days and all the people she met through those years remembered her and continued their support and love for our mother after all that time.

Jean belonged to the Legion, where we would go for New Year’s Eve parties or go to see the Elvis Presley impersonators. She also enjoyed going to women’s group once a week where they would knit or crochet but most importantly it was a time to catch up with her old friends and gossip about things past and present. She also loved to be outside gardening and taking care of her rose bushes and whatever flowers she could get her hands on. But later in life when it was getting harder to go outside, she loved her orchid, which she was so very proud of and she loved it when they bloomed with new flowers (Just like you are doing now, Mom, up in heaven.).

With her time at Fir Park Village, she got into doing arts and crafts and when she got one painting or project down, she would get so excited and could not wait to show us her completed project. She also went to karaoke and they would sing “On Top of Spaghetti” which became her favorite song.

Our Mom had a youthfulness about her. She never dressed her age, but she sure did know how to dress well. And because of that, a lot of our friends looked up to her and considered her a second Mom.

She was predeceased by her mother and father, Earl and Nora Whynot; brother Les Whynot; niece Shelly Whynot; aunt Katherin; love of her life Ray; and various other relatives.

She sadly left to mourn, her daughters Tammy (Frank) and Paddy (Michael); son Benjamine (Ben); grandkids Angelo, Teara Marie and Tyson; and her great grandkids Ajay and Kaylee.

Her family meant the world to her especially her kids and her grandkids and great grand babies. Every single one of us, she loved whole-heartedly and was so especially proud of all her grand and great grandkids. She often told me that, and of how proud she was of who they have become and what they have accomplished with their lives.

My family would also like to give a huge shout out to West Coast General Hospital. Even though our mother didn’t pass away there, she spent a lot of time up there over the last year and a half. We just wanted to say thank you to the emergency room doctors and nurses who took care of her when she was transferred to a room.

To the staff at Fir Park Village, there are no words to express how my sister and brother feel about you guys. The kindness, generosity and compassion that you have shown our mother when she was alive and when she passed will forever be ingrained in our hearts. Thanks for making her laugh and enjoy her time there. She often told us that it was home and that was all because of you guys. There were a few nurses that were very special to her, and to us, so thank you for that.

Her celebration of Life will be held on August 24th, 2024 from 1:00 -3:00 at the gazebo in Blair Park at the dyke. Please bring your own chairs, as seating is limited. There will be a small luncheon served.

Most importantly, bring a story or two to share about our Mother and the impact she had on your life!