Jean Dorothy Cox

Jean was born in Burnaby, BC. Her early days were spent on Lasqueti Island, where her father taught her in the one-roomed school house. Her brother and sister were a decade behind her, so she was a solitary child for a long time. She moved to Burnaby, where she attended high school, and went to UBC, where she made many life-long friends, and completed an Arts degree in 1947, and a teaching certificate in 1948. Her marriage followed 3 days after graduation. She brought up her 5 children with love and chore lists, to keep them busy and out of trouble. Jean loved to entertain, and her family performed like a well-oiled machine as they prepared Sunday dinners for company. Mom travelled whenever she could. Joanna and Steve accompanied her on cruises in their youth, to England, and to the Holy Land, and she and Marguerite Clarkson travelled the world together. In her retirement, Mom took up writing, publishing a poetry book, Moments of Meditation, a novel, The Restless Heart and a children’s novel, The Spaniards’ Treasure, in which she collaborated with her grandson, Dan, as illustrator. Her early memories, and her travels make an appearance in her novels. In her seventies, she took up both golf and oil painting. After being introduced to golf, she assembled a group, and they took lessons together, and golfed regularly for a decade or so. She loved walking and being outdoors with friends. She dove into oil painting, and produced some lovely canvases.
Mom was a teacher, primarily with the Delta School District, a traveller, a painter, and a writer, but mostly, she was the matriarch of a large, blessed and happy family. She is mourned by her sister, Rene Cochrane, 5 children: Priscilla (John) Dobernigg, Elizabeth (Robert) Borthwick, Grace Dyer, Joanna (Bill) Hibberd, and Stephen (Joy) Cox; her 14 grandchildren: David (Missy) Dobernigg, Philip (Kristy) Dobernigg, Mike (Jody) Dobernigg, Dan (Clarissa) Borthwick, Richard (Danica) Borthwick, James (Melanie) Borthwick, Jeremy (Jennifer) LaFontaine, Jon (Dina) LaFontaine, Joy (Chase) Florell, Aaron Hibberd, Nathan Hibberd, Renee (Nick) Johanssen, Tyrell Cox and Rylan Cox; and her 28 great grandchildren. She is predeceased by her brother, Philip Oben, her sister-in-law, Olga Oben, her brother-in-law, Ron Cochrane, and her son-in-law, David Dyer.
“Her children arise and call her Blessed.”