Janice Rickey

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our wonderful mother, Janice Rickey. Mom passed away peacefully in her home in Campbell River, surrounded by her loving family, at the age of 77, after bravely facing cancer. Her sense of humour and strong will to live and love was present right up until the end of her life. She will be remembered by many as a warm, caring and generous mother, grandmother, sister, auntie, cousin, friend, colleague and neighbour. If you were fortunate to be in her circle, you know how great it was to be on the receiving end of her giving spirit.

Janice leaves behind daughter Melissa (Gavin), son Peter (Rene), grandchildren Zoe (Curran), Jasmine (Spencer), Zackery and Mya, sisters Louise (Garth), Joan, Cathy (Alan), brothers Bob (Cathy) and Don (Hazel) and many nieces, nephews, cousins and treasured friends.

Janice was born on July 3rd, 1946 in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, to Anne and Harold Tufford. She attended West Curtis Grade School, Portage Collegiate High School, and went on to study Secretarial Science at the Manitoba Institute of Technology. It was there that she met her future husband, Robert Rickey. After graduation she held a couple of secretarial positions and in1968 she and Robert were married. Soon after that she started her family, with Melissa and later Peter being born in Winnipeg. In 1975 the young family relocated to beautiful BC, landing in Port Coquitlam and then Coquitlam. Jan spent several years as a dedicated stay at home mother, making much of the family’s clothing and cooking every meal from scratch, as well as working part time from home as an assistant to a court reporter. Once her children had completed elementary school, Janice returned to the workforce full-time, serving as the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer in School District 43 in Coquitlam.

A couple of years after her marriage ended in 1991, Janice moved to Campbell River and started a whole new life, this time bringing her professional skills to School District 72, in the same Administrative position as in her previous job. She worked there for 14 years until retiring in 2009. Janice excelled in organization and communication, had mad shorthand skills and possessed a real love of learning. Her affinity for her work showed in the professionalism, integrity and positive energy she brought to the office. Jan made great friends among her colleagues, and was appreciated for her quick wit and ‘tell it like it is’ attitude.

Beyond work, she began to build a network of cherished Campbell River friends , initially through joining the Newcomer’s club, and later became involved in Curling, Community Garden, Campbell River Garden Club, Saratoga Ladies Golf, Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, and book club. She enjoyed bringing her love of language to tutor ESL students new to Canada and also worked for the Campbell River Community Foundation for a time.

In and amongst it all, Janice became a grandmother in 1998 when Zoe was born. Following Zoe, came Jasmine, Zackery and Mya. Janice experienced great joy in her grandchildren, and jumped into teaching them through many hours reading, playing and drawing. She was so proud of each of them and the people they have grown to be.

Janice enjoyed many trips throughout her life, including across Canada, and to Hong Kong, Mauritius, Ireland and Mexico, to name a few. She had a passionate love of horses, especially wild horses, and would get a special look in her eyes when she talked about them.

Our mom was an incredibly nurturing parent and a true domestic goddess. She especially shone through the creativity and generosity she brought to making beautiful homes, cooking incredible feasts, sewing beautiful clothing and cultivating gorgeous gardens. In addition to passing on these valuable skills to us, she was always up for giving sage advice on the best words and phrases to choose to make one’s writing clear and impactful. She impressed upon us the importance of doing our very best in everything we do, being reliable, making a good first impression, and showing up on time (actually, slightly early!) These lessons are just some of the great legacy she has left to her children and grandchildren, holding us in great stead.

The family would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Grendar in Victoria, Dr. Savard in Campbell River, and Alina Baker and Chanchal Cabrera from the Cabrera clinic in Royston. We are also extremely grateful to the Hospice Nurses from the Central Team in Campbell River for their excellent support at home during Janice’s final days.

There will be a celebration of Janice’s life on Saturday, April 27th at 2:00pm at the Maritime Heritage Centre in Campbell River. Flowers are encouraged! Our mom loved flowers. Roses, peonies, and lillies were her favorites. We will be arranging flowers in her favourite vases on the 26th and can also accommodate arrivals on the 27th. Please email Melissa to arrange for early drop off.