Jean Boland
August 14, 1935 – December 2, 2022
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Our courageous, kind, loving, gracious, and creative Mom, Jean Boland, has crossed over into the greater. If there is laughter in the mystery after this life, that is where you will find her; or if there are people needing care or a helping hand, she could well be there. Always ready to share whatever she had to give, her motto was, “if there is anything I can do to make your life easier, I will do it.” She was the embodiment of a good human being, and her faith was expressed through participation in community.
With deep gratitude, her family and friends celebrate this wonderful woman and the enduring and steadfast love she so unconditionally gave. Jean’s stories, care, and affections will be carried forward by five generations of her family left to remember her. These include her eight children and their families: Rick; Bobbie, husband Bill Duggan and children Ana and Daniel (Matthew); Gerry and his son Jonah (Nikki and Allecia); Patricia, husband Jeff Baker and children Daniel Baker and Anita Penney (Heidi), and Anita’s children Kyle (Taylor and daughter Winter), Jacob and Logan Ackerman; Leo and sons Joshua (Shoorah), Leo (Megan), Brandon (Steven); Tony, wife Michelle Quirke and children Toni (sons Dominic and Damon), Kevin (Cassandra), and Allan Quirke (Kayla and children Chase and Elizabeth); Shelley Power and children Stephen (Saralynn and children Jackson, Casey, and Max) and Sarah (Robert); and Mia and son Matthew March Sean Conway). She held a special place in the hearts of her sisters Patricia Herridge and Dorothy Winter, her brother Joe Brown, sister-in-law Clara Sturge Brown, and the extended Brown family. To her Boland in-laws, Mary Lindsey, Helen White and Fred Boland, she was loved as a sister.
A good friend to others, Jean was blessed with the best of friends in Joyce Audeau of Corner Brook and Nora Furlong of St John’s. These were the friends with whom she went exploring and playing, enjoying the simple pleasure of life and free of responsibilities.
We like to envision Jean as being welcomed to a feast by her angels, those she loved who have gone before her. Her parents, Lilly and Ephraim Brown; her brother Gerald and his wife Mae; her brother Aubrey and his wife Becky; her younger brother Dave; mother-in-law and fast friend Anita Hynes Boland; Rick’s partner Joe Furey; son-in-law Steve Power and grandson Sean Power; and dear friend Margie Furlong. These are indeed some of the communion of saints who will rejoice in her arrival.
Her heart melted for babies, children, and all animals. Upon arriving at a house, she would soon be on the floor playing with them, even well into her 80s. Without guards or filters, they responded to the genuine openness to the love, affection and sense of playfulness that was her essence.
Jean loved being outdoors, trouting, berry picking, gardening and using the fruits of the land and sea to make things like jams, pickles, smoked salmon, cookies and crafts of all sorts. And she liked giving them away even more. Connecting with people and spending time with friends nourished her. She believed in making communities strong and could envision what was possible when all hands worked together. Her hospitality was enjoyed by many; you were never a stranger for long and once in her circle you were there forever.
Jean lived more than the last decade of her life with the day-to-day realities of Alzheimer’s Disease, a journey she handled with patience, grace, and humour. Her essential self – the kind, generous and fun-loving person who cared and comforted others – was present to the end. Her family are grateful for the loving care and friendships provided to her by the staff and residents of North Pond Manor in Torbay where she lived for four years, and more recently at Pleasantview Terrance Unit at St Luke’s Home.
In her memory, you might consider an act of kindness that brings a smile to the face of another, take time to appreciate the natural world and its wonders with someone, or enjoy an ice cream with total focus and pure pleasure.
Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be at Caul’s Funeral Home, 84 LeMarchant Road, on Sunday, December 4th, 2022 from 2 p.m – 4:30 p.m and 6:30 p.m – 9 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, December 5th, 2022 from Holy Trinity Church, Torbay at 10 a.m. to view online service please visit:www.facebook.com/Holy-Trinity-St-Agnes-St-Michaels-Parishes-114623136582076/ with inurnment to follow at Holy Trinity Cemetery, Torbay.
2022
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Jean Boland 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Torbay, Province: T-N