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 Doris Jeannotte 1926 – 2010 Eulogy delivered by granddaughter Leslie (Jeannotte) Schmidt. I am privileged to present to you the eulogy of the most interesting, unique, and intelligent woman, my grandmother, Doris Jeannotte. I was honored to be asked. She passed away peacefully in Dawson Creek just prior to her 84th birthday. She was born to Joe and Sandrine Bérubé on November 20, 1926. She grew up in Makwa, Saskatchewan and was the last of twelve children. Grandma D spoke often of her wonderful childhood, growing up with little but surrounded with music, generosity and laughter. Playing in their family orchestra and attending school were extremely important to Grandma D. She received as much education as was available in her northern community, and always regretted that she was only able to attain grade 10. It was at a dance in Loon Lake that she met my Grandpa, Paul Jeannotte. In April of 1945, at the age of 18, she came to Dawson Creek to marry her sweetheart, leaving her large family behind. They were married within days of her arrival and moved to their farm on the North side of McQueen’s Slough. She brought from her childhood home the many skills she would need. Thus began her very busy life as a farm housewife. She often talked about the first lonely year of missing her childhood home and family but that improved with the birth of Ray in April 1946. Two years later, Marilyn joined the family and Daryl was born in 1950. During this time, Grandma mindfully tended to the children, housekeeping, and farm chores as well as hosting many Jeannotte family gatherings. The farm was the place where all of Grandpa’s relatives wanted to be, likely because of Grandma’s spark and lively personality. In 1954, more farmland was purchased and Grandma thoroughly embraced moving to a larger home located on the old Spirit River Highway where the barn still stands today. The move meant less isolation and Grandma now had electricity. She welcomed the many conveniences that electricity afforded. Once the home had running water she soon convinced Grandpa that he wouldn’t have to haul that much more water to run an automatic dishwasher! Grandma was the first to desire all the latest conveniences. We grandchildren were amazed by her Commodore 64 computer! Grandma’s hard work continued with three more children joining the family. Lurind in 1955, Kevin in 1957 and to everyone’s surprise, Tamara in 1963. Grandma often said that with the children being spread out over eighteen years, she had every parenting problem imaginable all at once. In addition to caring for her kids, gardening, canning, baking, berry picking, Central Ladies Club, making butter, raising chickens and selling eggs meant that she never stopped. As well, neighborhood friendships were very important to her. No matter how busy, she always welcomed visitors to the kitchen table. Gloria could tell you great stories about the annual fall chicken butchering days when Gladys Marion joined us. At the end of the day we were all tired but uplifted from the laughter and the stories shared. Grandma’s love of teenagers and music was perfect for allowing the Nighthawks, a Rock and Roll band to practice in our basement. To rent a dance hall adult supervision was needed and Grandma loved being a chaperone and getting to know the teens who attended the dances. Now many of those same teens are telling us how Grandma touched their lives. Grandma had a rule that you couldn’t leave home until you graduated and none of her children broke that rule. With children reaching adulthood, family weddings provided the opportunity to welcome daughters and sons-in-law to the family. Grandma immediately embraced each of them and loved them as her own. Just three years after Tamara’s birth, Grandma’s first grandchild was born. Twelve years later she was the proud grandmother of 11 beautiful grandchildren. Years flew by and it wasn’t long before she had all 11 graduation photos proudly displayed where they remained until this summer. The value Grandma D held for education has been passed down through the generations. In the early 70s, women’s roles began to change and Grandma welcomed breaking out from the role of homemaker. As her first language was French, Grandma was sought after as a substitute teacher and had no trouble handling the usual troublemakers. She also became involved with farm organizations such as the W.I. and the Farmer’s Union. These years were not only extremely busy, they were also years of stressful changes. The farm was sold in 1975 and my grandparents moved into Dawson Creek. Grandma and her dear friend Claudina spontaneously decided to open Dawson Creek’s first bookstore. The Friendly Bookwork was a dream come true for Grandma. She could then show just how much she loved books. I’m told that Grandma and Claudina were kindred spirits and loved expanding their views and exploring new ideas. Following the sale of the bookstore, Grandma stayed on and worked for the new owners. Grandma enjoyed playing the lottery and got lucky! With some winnings she had a cabin built at One Island Lake. Grandma so loved her cabin and being immersed in the glory of mother nature. People worried about her living there on her own year round but she was completely comfortable. The serenity and solitude available to her there was just what Grandma needed. Later she sold her cabin and she spoke often of her regret at doing so. Grandma’s life was never boring and she would often surprise people with what was coming next. To the surprise of many she and Grandpa recommitted to each other. Together they settled into their quiet senior years. A few years ago there were changes in Grandma that concerned us all. She was diagnosed with dementia and adjustments had to be made. This was Grandma’s worst fear realized. It was most difficult on Grandma as she took such pride in her intellectual ability. Dementia, a confusing, frustrating, debilitating disease slowly stole Grandma away from herself and from all of us. Grandma moved into a care facility earlier this year. Her disease took a toll on Grandpa Paul as Grandpa died just two months after she went into care. Grandma’s health quickly deteriorated following Grandpa’s death. A broken hip proved to be more than she could bear. Eleven days after surgery, Grandma was released from the body she no longer needed and died with her family near. What a woman! Grandma leaves behind her six children and their spouses, Raymond (Gloria), Marilyn (Al Newby), Daryl (Gail), Lurind (Garth Thompson), Kevin, Tamara (Alan Wright), eleven grandchildren and their spouses, eighteen great-grandchildren and one more soon arriving. A memorial service was held on November 17, 2010 at the Bergeron Funeral Chapel, Dawson Creek, British Columbia with Peggy Bergeron officiating. |
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Dawson Creek: (250)
782-2577 Serving Fort St. John |
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