Peacefully, with family by her side, Jean Burrows (Archibald) Johnson passed away at the age of 100. Our amazing Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, Aunt and Friend celebrated 100 years of life this fall and it was wonderful to celebrate with her. She was the most gentle, kind, compassionate person who always saw the good in people and was very slow to criticize. She had a great sense of humour which she kept right up to the end. Her faith in God guided her through her life and into death.
Jean was born in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia and was the youngest in her family. She completed nursing school at the Children’s Hospital in Halifax, graduating in 1941. Her caring nature suited the nursing profession well. In 1943 she joined the army as a nursing sister, and it was here that she met her “sweetheart” Carl. They married on June 28, 1944 and she made the move to Kenora to live the next 75 years. She loved her new adventure, but always held a special place for Nova Scotia in her heart. Carl kept his promise, and they returned to Nova Scotia for numerous family visits over the years. Jean supported Carl’s various business ventures in Kenora, working alongside him many times. Jean also devoted herself to raising her family. Nothing put a smile on her face more than spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was a faithful member of Bethesda Lutheran and Good Shepherd Lutheran churches, and was very active in the Lutheran Church Women’s group. Jean was also a longstanding member of Lake of the Woods Hospital Auxiliary and enjoyed volunteering in the gift shop. Over the years she was a part of many bridge clubs and never minded “winning” the loonie for the lowest score.
Jean leaves to mourn her four children John, Lois (Lee), Don (Doris), and William (Lanys), her six grandchildren Krista (Dave), Jean (Andy), Leah (Corey), Malcolm, Fred and Kirsten, and her six great-grandchildren Ellis, Anna, Naomi, Joel, Jacob and Samuel, as well as many nieces and nephews. She also leaves her sister-in-law Eula Johnson in Victoria, whose visits she so enjoyed over the years, as well as special cousins in Nova Scotia and Belleville, Ontario. She will also be dearly missed by Ruth Harland, who was like another daughter to her.
She was predeceased by her mother (Maud) and father (John), her three brothers William (Margaret), John (Del) and Donald (Lettie) and her husband Carl. She was very close to her brothers and you might note the similarity in names with her three sons.
Mom was a true gift. We are thankful for her long life and we will all miss her deeply.
A heartfelt thank you to the wonderful staff at Benedickson for their dedicated care of Jean over the last nine years. For her short stay in the hospital, we can’t thank the the staff of the Emergency Department, 3East and Doctors Jaffer, Moore, Carlisle and Bowerman enough for their expertise and kind, caring manner during Mom’s last hours.
There will be a celebration of life on Saturday, October 26 at 11:00 a.m. at Brown Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lake of the Woods District Hospital or a charity of your choice.
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