Jeanne Lorraine Padmore

Jeanne Lorraine Padmore passed away peacefully of natural causes at her home on September 14, 2026, surrounded by loved ones. Jeanne is survived by her son Hew (Krista), daughter Christabel (Patrick), and granddaughters Aeryn, Maeve, and Imogen. She is predeceased by her son Owen.

Jeanne was born on May 10, 1943, in Vancouver, BC, to Gordon, a carpenter, and Margaret, a homemaker. An only child, Jeanne described her childhood in 1940s and 50s South Vancouver as a little lonely and somewhat Dickensian, walking to school through precariously dense fog from the pulp and sawmills on the Fraser River, friends dying and crippled from a wide variety of pre-vaccine era diseases, neighbours propping bodies in front yards for viewing, and even the occasional ghost visitation.

Jeanne attended John Oliver Secondary School and worked selling ice cream in Stanley Park in the summer. An enthusiastic student, Jeanne was adept with academics, as well as shining in music (voice) and domestic studies. She often reflected on being recruited into a prestigious class that was designed to mirror a European finishing school — grooming the super-wives that the titans of Vancouver industry would need as they built the economy and exploited BCs natural resources. While a life of social climbing was of little practical interest to Jeanne, she enjoyed learning to cook elegant meals, sew beautiful party gowns, and plan sophisticated parties.

A university education would have suited Jeanne, but she chose nursing. A career that allowed her to move out of her parents’ house and enjoy the freedom of mandatory student housing run by nuns.

She married Tim Padmore in 1965. A fellow only child and John Oliver student, the two 21-year-olds ventured out into the world. They boarded a transatlantic ocean liner for Europe, where they toured the sights, from picnicking on top of the stones at Stonehenge to urban camping in Rome.

Upon their return, the couple moved to Palo Alto, California. While Tim completed his PhD at Stanford University, Jeanne worked as a nurse at Stanford University’s hospital. In California, Jeanne was excited by the breadth of new foods available in the warm climate. It was a wonderful place to cook. Fresh fruits and vegetables all year round, and special treats like the mighty artichoke that Jeanne was especially fond of. They welcomed their first son, Hewlyn David, in 1968.

Jeanne and her young family then moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Jeanne described life in the civil rights era South as uncomfortable, but there was lots to learn. Living on the salary of a sessional physics instructor, money was tight. The family lived in a poorer, and minority white neighbourhood. Jeanne found herself on another culinary adventure. The butcher shops in that part of Atlanta didn’t carry the fancy steaks and plump chickens she had been used to in California. Here she learnt to create magic with assorted offal, bones, and other ‘parts,’ guided by the wisdom of Julia Child and other classic French culinary texts. She never let up about her victory with stuffed turkey necks.

Caring for a toddler and now without employer-based medical insurance, Jeanne decided to try her luck with US health care. She recalled sitting on a bench outside of the hospital, in labour with her second child — waiting for 4 p.m. to strike the clock so she could check in. She could only afford one night in the hospital. Owen Stuart was born in 1970.

From there, the new family of four moved to Ithaca, New York. In Ithaca, they met friends Outi, an artist and Juhani, a physicist, from Turku, Finland. The friendship provided comfort after years of moving from place to place. Jeanne was a little less lonely in Ithaca. The Finns became a part of the family, with regular visits in Canada and in Europe for decades to come.

From Ithaca, they returned to Canada. Jeanne’s memories of her home in Streetsville, Ontario, were largely climate based; both too hot and too cold. It was never just right in Toronto. Of course, there was still food to be cooked. The international markets and plentiful imports provided comfort as she shielded her family from inclement weather.

They returned to British Columbia and settled in Richmond, allowing her to be closer to her parents, as well as her in-laws. They welcomed Christabel Rose in 1976. With three young children, Jeanne settled into her new home, tending her very productive garden plot and raising Hew, Owen, and Christabel. They were treated to a childhood of beautiful food enthusiastically made by their talented mother, who gave them limitless love and attention.

In 1985, Jeanne moved with her family to Victoria, where she would live for the rest of her life. She briefly worked in nursing, only to declare that she was tired of wiping people’s bums. She subsequently worked as a property manager, where body fluid clean-up was somewhat less frequent.

In Victoria, Jeanne took care of her family, as well as many others. Over the years she acted as a volunteer parent to teenagers, young adults, and ultimately a few middle aged people. Her door, and more so her kitchen, were always open. Dispensing her good-hearted wisdom to all those that presented at her table. There was never any doubt that she was speaking honestly, with classics like:

“Quit complaining and just hurry up and get it over with.”

“I think it would help if you cleaned your fingernails.”

“Sit up straight, you’re turning into a hunchback.”

“Don’t wear sweatpants, they’ll make you fat.”

“Go to school, or you’ll end up cleaning toilets and digging ditches.”

Needless to say, Jeanne valued and nurtured resilience.

In addition to humans, she loved her pets, including: best-dog-ever, Bandit; cat, Shadow “The Lump;” Kitty Cat Padmore; and with the greatest generosity of spirit — Tessa the dog, also known as Tessa, the unlikeable, to the rest of her family.

She spent her later years hosting parties for family and friends, listening to excessively loud opera music, reading mountains of books and growing the most excellent tomatoes. She was a world class nana to her granddaughters and continued to be a loving parent to her children. Never letting them forget when they needed a haircut, or their gardens needed weeding.

As her health declined she was reluctant to let others take on the role of care giver to her. Ultimately she relented. Her sense of humour never faded, able to quip sarcastically even while being loaded onto an ambulance stretcher. Her last year was challenging with limited mobility, and declining health, but her spirit remained, thanks to her loving and devoted caregiver Karen, and later Cecilia, as well as her children. They all made sure she was never alone, always well taken care of, and most importantly well fed.

Jeanne passed away peacefully at home, after a very brief illness, surrounded by loved ones. We should all be so lucky.

A private celebration of life will be held at a date yet to be determined.