Jean Edwards

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Jean Edwards at the age of 98 years. Jean was peacefully surrounded by her four children and two of her grandchildren in her final days.

Jean will be lovingly remembered by her children Nancy, Sheila, Brent (Christine), and Barbara (Bill); her grandchildren Andrew (Lauren), Ryan, Sydney, Caiden, and Kyla; her great grandchild Oliver; and nieces (Kathleen and Patricia), nephew (William), and step-nephew Robert (Allison).

She will also be dearly missed by her friends in Nanaimo and from Halifax.

Jean was predeceased by her loving husband, Inglis after 66 years of marriage, her parents (Annie and Reginald), her brother (Fred), her sisters-in-law (Lorna and Isabelle), and her step-niece (Carol).

Jean grew up in Halifax where she graduated from the Halifax Ladies College and then Commercial School. She was a woman of many talents. Jean was an excellent tap dancer who contributed to the war effort, providing weekly musical entertainment for the many servicemen who spent time in Halifax during WW II. In 1950, at the age of 24, Jean moved to Montreal where she met her future husband who had grown up in Vancouver. They lived in Montreal for 20 years, moved to Windsor, Ontario for five years, and then to Burnaby, British Columbia. Following retirement, they settled in Nanaimo where they made many friends and put down strong roots.

Jean was a life-long accomplished musician. She played piano and organ, taught organ lessons at the College for the Retired for eight years, was the piano accompanist for the Nanaimo Singer-Songsters, and joined a handbell ringers’ group. Jean loved to fill her family home with music. She was a great story-teller and a true-blue Maritimer who brought the best of Canada’s East Coast to the West. Jean loved to spend time with her family by the ocean.

Jean was witty, caring, personable, and interested in those around her right to the end of her life. She celebrated the successes of her husband, children, and grandchildren. A consummate caregiver, Jean was a strong advocate for the care of her family and friends. Her children thought Jean should have been awarded the title of honorary nurse.

Jean had glaucoma for many years and developed macular degeneration in her nineties. She fought hard to maintain her vision. She never complained about her loss of sight but was saddened by her inability to read music and books.

At the family’s request, a private celebration of life will be held near Nanaimo at the commemorative bench for Jean and Inglis. This is a special place where fond memories of family time by the oceans on Canada’s East and West Coast are shared.

Memorial Donations may be made in Jean’s name to the CNIB Foundation’s Guide Dog Program (1929 Bayview Avenue, TORONTO, ON, M4G 3E8) or the BC and Alberta Guide Dogs (7061 Ladner Trunk Road, DELTA, BC, V4K 3N3).

The family wishes to send a special thank you to the Palliative Registered Nurse Clinicians working with Abbotsford and Mission Communities’ Palliative Care Network and to the staff at the Christine Morrison Hospice in Mission for their care and compassion.