Jeanette Lee

MY EULOGY ON THE OCCASION OF AUNT JAN’S FUNERAL

The world has gotten a little darker. We received news that Aunt Jan was
gone. I believe she was in her 86th year.
Jan & I were alike in that we sort of fell into this family. We were both
outsiders who crashed this Keeley/Lee party. It took us both a while to
fit in. But I believe that Jan & I had an affinity. At that time, we were both
outsiders looking in.
Aunt Jan was the glue that held us together. Her laugh was infectious
and her smile was like sunshine on a cloudy day. She was not afraid to
take charge and everyone looked to her for guidance and direction. In
her turn, she became the matriarch and willingly ruled the unruly clan.
It’s not that she imposed her will, but everyone bowed to her wisdom.
She never did anything with malice but tempered it with love.
When a new baby entered the family, one step in the acceptance process
was to present the infant to Aunt Jan. It was a rite of passage to take the
squawking, smelly bundle of joy to Aunt Jan for her official smile of
approval. I don’t believe she ever withheld that stamp of approval. After
all, this was family.
Of all that generation Cliff is the last. The few of us that remain of our
generation are scattered across the country and seem to lack the cohesion of our parent’s, Linda is trying to keep her side of the family together but the scattering is inevitable.
Jan was one of those “Gone, but never forgotten “ figures.
Her presence and influence lasted long after she was gone.

Once you met her you would never forget her.
She made an impression. She was unique. She was one-of-a-kind.
She was a cosmic event, a flaming asteroid streaking through the sky, or
a black hole sweeping everything and everyone along in her wake. She
had an exuberance for all things and loved them all equally. She bubbled
with life.

What was Aunt Jan to me? She was a rock, an anchor., a safe harbour in
stormy seas. Advice, a shoulder to lean on, an understanding, forgiving
soul. Aunt Jan was all these things and more. She was a walking medical
dictionary and we generally consulted her before we notified our GP.
It seems that every ER we went into, all we had to do was mention her
name and there was instant recognition. She had a reputation that went
far beyond Saint Joseph’s hospital. Family, church, and community were
the foundation on which she based her life.
Looking back over the years, I recall many parties, from Hamilton to
Saunders to Endsleigh to Saugeen. Every party had its silly traditions. Jan
would bring her macaroni salad, long before Gene and Kevin took over,
Richard would make the jook and Paule would entertain us with her
violin. And there would be the family photo. One Christmas family get-together that I recall was at Pearl & Francis’ in Hamilton. Claustrophobia
was the overwhelming sensation.
SSSOO MANY PEOPLE.

This was the FIRST family Christmas I had been invited to. I was being
presented to the family for approval.
I guess I passed (with some reservations). There were some frowns, but
Aunt Jan was all smiles and hugs. I guess I passed inspection.
This too is a celebration. We are celebrating the life of Jeanette Lee and
life certainly wouldn’t have been the same without her. With her joy, her
warmth, sincerity and love she gave new meaning to the phrase “Life of
the party”.

Be happy that we knew her.

Be thankful that she came into our family.

Rejoice for the life of Jeanette Lee.

If the celebrations could not happen before,

Then let me be the one to say it,
“Aunt Jan Has Arrived”
OK. Let the party begin.

Linda’s Farewell

u·nique
being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else

That’s how we all thought of Aunt Jan. I say we,
because we all felt the warmth of her caring for each
and every one of us since she arrived into our family
on March 12th, 1966. From her celebrated Horse
Macaroni, for which she passed on the ‘secret’ to
Jennifer, to working the room each Christmas to
spend time with each of us, to her subtle insistence at
other times that we take care of ourselves and she
would indeed check back to make sure we did. She
was quite simply the best aunt ever.

Never a glass half empty person, but always a glass
half full person despite all her personal medical
problems over the years. She never let them get her
down and always moved onward with determination.
We should all be like her.

I will miss our lunches and talks. She was not just an
aunt but a friend and a confident. I will continue to
make her favourite pineapple squares for each family
celebration.

Whenever I see a heart, I will always think of her and
she will be in mine forever.

Much Love
Linda

Farewell From Jennifer, Arran, & Lauren

Saturday, October 14, 2023 9:19 PM

A Farewell From Jennifer Arran, Lauren & the girls

I can just imagine her seeing us all here: “Wow… All this
for me? I love you guys!”
But of course we would do all this for her! Because she
was always there for all of us. Because she always wanted
to talk, always wanted to hear about everything you were
doing, wanted to cherish every moment together. Going
out of her way to make you feel special.
And never missing an opportunity to tell you she loved
you.
So yes, of course we’re all here today – she touched all of
our lives. I am so grateful to have had her as part of our
family and will cherish every special memory I have of
her. We can all follow her example and let those we love
know it whenever we can. We love you Aunt Jan.