Written by son Bryan Jackson & Daughter Cathy Wall.
Irene Madeline Jackson passed away peacefully, with family by her side, on Friday, August 12, 2022, at Westview Lodge, Boissevain, Manitoba at the age of 91 years. Reunited with her husband, Roy (February 2022).
Mom was born on December 15, 1930, the youngest of six children born to Theophile and Juliana Cuvelier. The family lived in the Medora area, later moving to the Margaret area. It was here that Mom met the love of her life. Mom told us of the story of asking Dad to a dance at the Brandon Academy (where she attended to complete Grades 10 and 11) but how it took him 6 more years to ask her to marry him!
Mom and Dad were married on October 11, 1952 and would have celebrated 70 years of marriage this Fall. They started their married life on the Havelock Duffield farm, and in the fall of 1954, they moved to the east half of 21-5-19 where they raised their four children. Mom worked by Dad’s side helping with the farm. Over the years they raised chickens, turkeys, pigs and operated a dairy farm which were later sold to raise beef cattle. She always had a large garden which kept her busy canning everything from beans to jellies as well as keeping hundreds of potatoes sprouted (a job which she later delegated to her children who “loved” this particular chore). I think we all have fond memories of spending a Sunday afternoon cooling off at Lake William only to stop and pick saskatoon berries on the way home, finishing up the day with chores in the dairy barn. Mom and Dad built a new house on the Ross Heasler farm and moved there in 1981. They remained there until they retired, first to Brandon and then to Crocus Hills in Boissevain.
In retirement, Mom became interested in art, creating many paintings that her family have proudly displayed in their homes. We hadn’t realized Mom had this hidden talent, but she has apparently passed this gift down to numerous grandchildren, including some of her greatgrandchildren. Mom loved her grandchildren very much and still managed to call them on occasion even after her and Dad moved into Westview Lodge. We could always bring a smile to her face with pictures and videos of her great grandchildren, and she was always willing to share these pictures with her friends at the Lodge. She would proudly announce every time a new baby was born.
Mom had a strong faith and many people benefitted from all her prayers. It was something she continued even when she lived in Westview.
Irene will be lovingly remembered by her children: Bryan (Fran) Jackson, Barb (Dale) Sharp, Carol (Garry) Fleming and Cathy Wall; 13 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and their spouses, totalling over 50 descendants in the last family photo. and her sister-in-law, Rene Jackson. She was predeceased by her husband, Roy; her son-in-law, Rick Wall, her parents; all her siblings and their spouses; and brothers-in-law and their spouses.
To the grandchildren, you remember Grandma working around the yard and garden at their retirement home near the intersection.
Grandma was a farm wife after their marriage and she settled into being a homemaker, helping with farm chores, and milking cows twice a day until 1979 when the dairy cattle were sold. That was done with milking machines, but it was still heavy work, lifting buckets of milk and the clean up after each milking and then it was back to the house to make meals and look after 4 kids and everything that went along with that.
She always had a garden, a big potato patch that needed weeding and I remember picking potato bugs for a penny a bug and helping her hoe the then new shelter belt of trees west of the yard over 60 years ago. As kids we likely weren’t much help. We helped pick raspberries and tend to the weeding in the raspberry patch, while she made crab-apple jelly, preserved other fruits and vegetables to feed the family through the winter.
Mom and dad always butchered their own beef and pork and made sausages with help from Grandpa Jackson, who had been a butcher. After a hard day’s work, it was back to the barn for evening milking which was a lot of physical labour in those days.
We knew things slowed down when they found time to attend old time dances and go to Texas for a few winters. In Texas, they continued to dance, played shuffle, which your Grandma enjoyed. She entered tournaments and won her fair share of games.
Some of you may remember the Happy Polar Bear pins she brought back for all her grandchildren after a trip to Alaska. She quickly gathered them up and replaced them with something else after it was pointed out why the bears were so happy. She was appalled that she hadn’t noticed what they were doing before getting them.
Some of you don’t remember grandma before she had her stroke. It changed her way of thinking and reasoning. She made an amazing recovery but was never quite the same.
Today we have to say good-bye to you Mom but are blessed that you are now reunited with Dad and once more dancing together.
To end, Mom we miss you, we love you, and we thank you for all you did for us.
