Ms. Jane Arthurs Frain

Jane Arthurs Frain died on February 23rd a year after suffering a significant stroke. She is survived by her children, Marnie (Avrum Rosner), Nancy (Rene Buser), Charles, and Jennifer (Matthew Decter), her grandchildren, Michael Koster (Hayley Cook), Jeffrey Koster, Hardial Rosner and Ari Decter-Frain and by her great-grandson, Oliver Cook.

Mom was born in Powassan, Ontario to Clarence and Grace Jackson and was the youngest of the three Jackson girls and last survivor of her birth family. She always spoke of her parents with such love and fondly recalled times at the family cottage at Restoule in Ontario. As a young, bright, capable and adventurous person she moved by herself to Victoria BC to work in a medical laboratory. After returning to Toronto when her own mom became ill, she began working at Sunnybrook Hospital as a lab technician and there she met the love of her life, a dashing young physician Dr. J. Bruce Frain. They swept each other off their feet and married on June 23, 1951. They first moved to Philadelphia for Bruce’s medical residency in rheumatology and then to Winnipeg to start their family. They often had to stretch a penny in the early days but managed well to provide great opportunities for their children. Jane and Bruce shared 50 years of marriage, travelled to all seven continents, and relished their time with friends and family at the cottage they built in Minaki, Ontario. They were avid bridge players and Jane was appropriately proud that she achieved Masters level in bridge! They loved to socialize and had many decades-long friendships with a wide range of people from church, Minaki, bridge clubs and the Winter Club. They enjoyed all that Winnipeg had to offer with its vibrant cultural scene and enjoyed cheering on the Blue Bombers. They became huge Winnipeg boosters in spite of their Toronto roots.

In addition to being busy raising four children Jane was also very involved in her community, becoming the President of the Women’s Canadian Club and through that meeting a couple of Prime Ministers and other illustrious Canadians. She served on Winnipeg’s Social Planning Council and the Board of Revision for the City. She also became a successful real estate agent and would point to various additions such as a porch or a sauna at the cottage as being the result of selling this or that house! She loved selling people homes that fit them and was very clear they needed to fit a realistic budget. Her practicality was a significant strength and she worked hard to instill that into her children.

After her beloved husband died in 2002 Mom had to proceed on her own even though she missed him terribly. The friendships and community connections she had built over the years were strong and they sustained her well. She volunteered at the Fringe Festival, participated in the Women’s Musical Committee and the Twenty Club and took particular pride in helping new Canadians learn the English language. She was honoured to receive the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in recognition of her community engagement. She also continued being as adventurous as she was when a young woman and ventured off on cruises seeing and experiencing the world. She did this solo or with her daughter Nancy and one time took the entire family on a wonderful holiday cruise through the Panama Canal.

Jane was a tremendous story teller… even if the facts were often embellished. She was also a strong, determined yet fun-loving and highly social person. She loved deeply and was well loved in return. We will all miss her bright smile and quick humour.

The family is deeply grateful to the many people who supported Mom after Dad died; her condo friends, her Twenty Club friends, and friends like Gini Martin from her life with Dad. This last year of Mom’s life was made much more tolerable by the addition of the wonderful staff at the Rosewood and by Linda and Annie who tended to her weekly. We are appreciative of the good and considerate medical care provided by her long time physician Dr. Robert Kippen and others at the Winnipeg Clinic. Thanks too to the medical staff at the HSC, St. Boniface and Victoria General Hospitals.

Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, March 1st, at 2:00 p.m. at St. George’s Anglican Church in Crescentwood with the Rev. Simon Blaikie officiating.

Flowers are gratefully declined. Donations may be made to Agape Table, the Red Cross, or to St. George’s Anglican Church Memorial Fund.