Jane Elizabeth van Roggen

Jane Elizabeth van Roggen (née Bolton) was born March 7, 1926, in Victoria, B.C. to Jocelyn Innes and Gerard Bolton. She went to Norfolk House School and attended the University of Victoria, situated then in Craigdarroch Castle. Encouraged by her best friend, Francis Harrison, she left Victoria and enrolled in nursing school at Vancouver General Hospital. Jane was a graduate of VGH’s nursing class, 1947.

Jane met her first husband, David Lawson, in Vancouver. They married in 1949 and honeymooned at the family’s home in Qualicum Beach. They were deeply involved with the opening of the Vancouver Public Aquarium. Jane was one of only seven docents at the Aquarium in 1964. She believed in education and took responsibility for developing educational programing at the Vancouver Public Aquarium. Jane and David built a summer home of their own in Qualicum in 1958, and raised three children Martha, Tim, and Anne. Following David’s death in 1975, Jane continued to be a primary fundraiser for the Aquarium and served as President of the Board of Governors from 1986 – 1989. Jane established the Dr. Murray Newman Award for Excellence in Aquatic Sciences and worked alongside artist Bill Reid to install the Killer Whale sculpture at the Aquarium’s front entrance. She was a scuba diver and went on many trips across the world with her Aquarium family. She shared her vast knowledge of ocean life with others on the beach at Qualicum and was the resident aquatics expert!

Jane revisited her interest in Public Health and turned her attention to cancer research. She was appointed to the Board of Governors of Trustees for the BC Cancer Agency in 1986 and became President of the BCCA in 1990. Jane was instrumental in expanding treatment centres in the province so that all British Columbians could have easier access to cancer treatment. In 1994, Jane was awarded the Order of Canada for her many years of volunteer service. Her long-time involvement in the development and operation of programs at the Vancouver Public Aquarium and her strong and caring leadership as president of the British Columbia Cancer Agency were exemplary.

Jane married her second husband, Senator George van Roggen in 1984. They enjoyed traveling and sailing BC’s coastline on George’s boat the Free Trade. This marriage ended when George died in 1992, also from cancer. Jane knew how blessed she was to have been born and live in Canada. In 1997, she was appointed as a Citizenship Court Judge, her first paying job since being a newly hired general duty nurse at Vancouver General Hospital! Jane has a long lineage in British Columbia and was proud to welcome and share her love of Canada with newcomers. Jane was awarded Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 in recognition for her significant contributions to British Columbia.

Jane was grateful not only for the opportunities she was given, but also for her family and the dear friends that made her life so enjoyable. Her life was one of service, adventure, and leadership. She enjoyed golf, bridge, jazz, Wanda the Cat, and made sure to pass an appreciation of all she loved to her family. Jane knew how to have fun, mix a Manhattan, and enjoy life to the fullest.

Jane died Friday evening, October 11, age 98, at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver. We are grateful for the care she received from the second-floor nursing staff. Jane was predeceased by her first husband David Lawson, her daughter Martha Pritchard (2016), and her second husband, George van Roggen. Jane is survived by Martha’s daughter, Christine Pritchard, son Timothy Lawson and his children Sean and Thibault, daughter Anne and her children Katja and Kristian, step-son Norman van Roggen, wife Shari and their children Claire, Georgia, and James, and step-daughter Trish van Roggen. We have lost a precious person and will raise a glass in her memory this summer and think of how lucky we were to be a part of her exceptional life. There is no formal service planned at this time.