Jane Gardiner

March 19, 1962 – January 24, 2014

Surrounded by family, Jane left us peacefully on January 24th, 2014, at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver. She was a rare spirit and will be sorely missed.

Jane was the fourth of five children born to Mollie (Hall) and Squadron Leader Ernie Gardiner. As an Air Force brat she lived in many places including France, Belgium and Germany. A sunny and active young girl, Jane was proud of her 50 metre butterfly record at the Gloucester Swim Club in Ottawa. She graduated from Caledonia High School in Terrace, BC, and then returned to Ottawa where she worked at Innotech Aviation before launching her own business supporting local fashion designers.

In 1987 Jane established her permanent home in Vancouver where she pursued her passion for sports and fitness. She became a Certified Personal Trainer, Nutritional Consultant, BCRPA Fitness Instructor, and Trainer of Instructors. She taught at the YM/YWCA and the Steve Nash Fitness World Sports Club, her favourite class being the grueling 6 am Spin Cycle session. Jane went on to start her own business “Athleta Training” which most recently operated out of the Strathcona Community Centre. Popular programs were “Boomer Fitness”, training and testing for POPAT (Police Officer’s Physical Abilities Test), and PARE (Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation). She especially enjoyed personal training and could often be seen early in the morning jogging with clients along the Vancouver seawall.

Jane loved her loft apartment near the seawall, and liked to walk up the hill to buy fresh produce for her dinner at the little shops and delicatessens on Davie Street. In many of them she was known by name and she had the knack of turning a purchase into a social occasion. She was fun to be around and exuded a warmth that drew people to her. Her vivacious personality, sparkling eyes, and delightful laugh could captivate a room. She was able to connect with almost anyone and there was a sense of knowing her from the start. She had a deep belief in the goodness of the human spirit and those who knew her invariably came away a better person because of it. Her sensitivity and compassion for others was apparent even during the stress of her final days.

Although she did not fully recognize this herself, Jane was a natural teacher. Her ability to motivate police academy recruits participating in her program that were not meeting the physical requirements was demonstrated by a gentle ‘come on, we are going to keep at this until we get it right’. And they did.

Jane had a strong connection with the natural world. She loved animals and nature and spent many happy hours in her “hippie days” hiking, canoeing, and bike riding. Music also played an important role in Jane’s life. In addition to being an avid lover of folk music, she played guitar beautifully – strumming and singing her favourite songs as well as her own compositions. Recordings by Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Tracy Chapman, and Bruce Cockburn featured prominently in her extensive CD collection.

Jane’s family ties were her foundation in life. Although she regretted having no children of her own, she loved being an aunt to her four cherished nieces and nephews who regarded her as “the coolest auntie ever!”. The losses of her younger brother, Joe, in a tragic car accident in 1987 and her father, Ernie, in 2003, were milestones she struggled to recover from. However, these events reinforced the family love and unity that provided the grounding she needed in her final years.

Jane is survived by her Mother, Mollie Both, and beloved step-father Archie Both of Kamloops; brother Bill of Halifax; sisters Leslie of Ottawa and Cathie (Frank Dal Bello) of Adelaide, Australia; nieces Kendra and Lauren Fredette of 0ttawa; and nephews Daniel and Gabriel Dal Bello of Adelaide.

The family would like to express our deepest gratitude to the many caring souls who supported Jane so generously during her illness. These include Rhys and his family and network; Michael and Lily; Richard, Jane, and the team at the Burrard YM/YWCA; Ron and the staff and volunteers at the Strathcona Community Centre; Dr. Viljoen, Peggy, and the team at Grandview Woodland; Dr. Sakakibara, Roelof, Ditta, and others at Three Bridges; the Emergency and ICU staff at St. Paul’s; the oncology and radiology teams at Vancouver General led by Dr. Tam and Dr. Erb, respectively; Matthew from Peoples Pharmacy; the staff and friends from the Heartwood Centre (Vancouver) and Edgewood (Nanaimo); Iryna and sons; Tess and the team at St. Elizabeth’s; Leslie and Ken; and the many others whose names we may not have mentioned but whose kindnesses over the years added to Jane’s quality of life.

A funeral service to celebrate Jane’s life will be held on Friday, February 7th, 3:00 pm at Glenhaven Memorial Chapel, 1835 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, 604.255.5444, with reception to follow. Please visit www.glenhavenmemorialchapel.com to express condolences or share your stories of the gift that was Jane’s presence in your life. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Strathcona Community Centre’s After School Safe-Place Program. Cheques payable to the Strathcona Community Centre Association will be gratefully accepted in person at Jane’s funeral service or can be delivered/mailed to: 601 Keefer Street, Vancouver, BC V6A 3V8.

Rest in peace, Jane. Your big heart and gentle soul are etched forever in our memories. We love you and miss you beyond words.

Mom, Arch, Bill, Leslie, Cathie, Frank, Kendra, Daniel, Lauren, and Gabriel