Jeanette Rose Muskeyn

September 28, 1937 — July 1, 2026

With hearts full of gratitude and sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Jeanette Rose Muskeyn (nee MacLean), from natural causes, on July 1, 2026, in Kamloops, BC, at the age of 88.

Jeanette was a devoted daughter of the late Kenneth and Anna Belle MacLean and big sister to Ken (Tove) MacLean. She was predeceased by her husband, Theodore (Ted), in 1996, and her eldest son, Bruce, in 2020. She was a proud and guiding mother to her five children. She will be greatly missed by Brian (Paula), Gordon, Gail, and Heather (Kevin). She was a doting grandmother to Abby, Madison, Kyle, and Jenna; and a kind aunt to seven nieces and nephews, and cousin or friend to many.

Jeanette was born on September 28, 1937, in Vancouver, BC, where she later graduated from Gladstone Secondary School (a location the family always loved seeing featured in movies). Because of her September birthday, she missed the admission age for nursing school with her friends. Instead, she began working for the Bank of Montreal on Kingsway—a twist of fate, as BMO would shape the rest of her life. It was there that she met Ted, and the rest was history. Following Ted’s promotion to loans manager, the couple married in 1959 and relocated to Kaslo, BC. They moved several more times as Ted rose through the bank’s ranks, before finally settling down in Trail when the kids reached school age.

Remarkably, her kids were mostly born in different small towns in BC. In Trail, Ted changed his career to become a payroll accountant at Teck Cominco until he retired. Jeanette eventually went back to the Bank of Montreal in East Trail for years before moving to an office job with BMO in Castlegar. Later, she accepted a transfer to Nanaimo, where she thrived for years, working at the bank, volunteering, and finding time for her hobbies.

Jeanette retired in 1995 and later moved to Kamloops in 2014 to be closer to her daughters. She lived independently, and then with Gail in her townhouse for many years, before later transitioning into long-term care.

When reminiscing about her East Vancouver childhood, Jeanette fondly recalled childhood shenanigans, like climbing onto neighbourhood rooftops at the age of four, entirely unbeknownst to her mother. She took piano lessons from a next-door neighbour who always knew exactly how much and how well she had practiced. During World War II, Jeanette vividly remembered the nighttime air raid drills when the family would hide in the hallway with the lights out. As a teenager, she loved hanging out at the local White Spot. We were fortunate to spend many years together at her childhood home on Galt Street. So many family gatherings were spent with cousins and grandparents, not to mention the kids’ friends staying over at the house in Vancouver.

“My hopes, my plans, my joys, my fears, are all in this life of mine.” – Sammy Davis Jr., “This is My Life”

Family was paramount to Jeanette; she visited and kept in touch with cousins across Canada, from Coleman to Cape Breton. She kept friends from every place she had ever lived and faithfully sent Christmas cards each year. High school friendships were incredibly important to her, a value she passed on to each of her children, who all still maintain close high school friendships. Aunt Yvonne and the late Auntie Bev were part of our lives growing up and had been her friends since elementary school. A particular highlight for the family was throwing Jeanette a surprise 70th birthday party in Nanaimo.

Jeanette was a woman of many passions. She adored her grandchildren and was immensely proud of their plays, choir performances, graduations, sports, skating, and band concerts. She was an avid crafter, enjoying sewing, knitting, and “big-time” quilting, as well as baking. She loved music, concerts, local theatre, celebrating the holidays, and travelling. Her adventures included cruises, Disneyland, and international trips—first with Ted and her mother (Nana), and later with her daughter Gail, exploring destinations from New Zealand and Alaska to Europe and Egypt. In her earlier years, she enjoyed bowling, bridge, and bingo in Trail. In her later years, she found simple pleasures in game shows, jigsaw puzzles, soap operas, romance novels, crosswords, her dogs and granddogs, sushi, and ice cream cakes.

Above all, volunteering took precedence in her retirement. Jeanette was a person of service her entire life and believed deeply in giving back. From her active involvement with the United Church in every community she called home, to her dedicated service with the Hospital Auxiliaries in Nanaimo and Kamloops, she gave generously of her time. She served as treasurer, worked in hospital gift shops, and volunteered at the hospital thrift store. She also volunteered for the Tim Hortons Brier in Kamloops and participated in the One-to-One reading program at Kyle and Jenna’s elementary school.

The words being used to describe our mom are special, kind, hard-working, family-oriented, generous, calm, and an “amazing” lady. Our house was always a safe and welcoming place for our friends. She often said she never knew who would be sleeping at our house when she woke up; the door was always open with snacks ready. When Heather was teaching at 70 Mile House, the whole school’s intermediate classes stayed at her house in Nanaimo, sharing the neighbour’s house to sleep 50 students, staff, and parents. Our parents even “hosted” Bruce’s entire graduating class for a party on Iris Crescent. Holidays were our parents’ favourite time, hosting an open house every Christmas for our friends. Nothing phased her. Nothing.

Even when her legs began to cause her severe grief later in life, she remained incredibly strong and resilient, managing the pain quietly until her body needed extra support. Jeanette transitioned into long-term care, first at Gillis House in Merritt, then to her final home at Sun Rivers AgeCare facility, where she was beautifully cared for in a nice room looking out onto the golf course.

To her very last day, Jeanette focused on the things that brought her joy. She watched her favourite soap opera and game shows, kept us company while we had sushi in her room, won on scratch lottery tickets, worked on her jigsaw puzzles, and sipped a Coca-Cola until our loving mother fell asleep for the final time. While her body gave out before her sharp mind and loving heart, her family remains deeply grateful for the abundant time they shared with her—though it never feels like enough. Upon leaving Sun Rivers, the staff honoured her by lining the halls to music to say a final goodbye. As the funeral home vehicle departed, it began to rain—a fitting final connection to her beloved Vancouver roots.

In lieu of flowers, the family would be honoured by donations made to your favourite charity on her behalf, or by volunteering an hour of your time to your community. As a woman of lifelong service, Jeanette would have loved nothing more. No service will be held at this time. Jeanette will be laid to rest with her husband, Ted, at Pacific Heritage Cemetery in Burnaby later this fall, where her parents are buried. There, she will return to her birthplace and the place where her life with Ted first began. Being around our mom always felt like home, and she will remain in our hearts and memories forever.

“You gave me strength to stand alone again. To face the world out on my own again.” – Anne Murray, “You Needed Me”

• Date : 2026-07-01
• Location : Kamloops