Janet Elizabeth Francis Jacobsen – Will

A life of beauty…

Janet was born in Vancouver to Peter Damgaard Jacobsen and Fanny Janet Elizabeth Francis.  She lived her early years in the Kitsilano neighbourhood surrounded by many relatives and close friends of the family.  She attended the prestigious Queen’s Hall private school for girls and remembered this time with pride, learning tap-dancing, figure skating, piano, and more.  Janet’s mother, a fashion-savvy former buyer for the Hudson’s Bay Company, ensured that her daughter was always dressed to impress, often sewing the outfits herself.  Janet looked back on this fulsome, exciting time of her life fondly and always considered herself a ‘Vancouver girl’, even though she lived in the Victoria area from the age of 12 and came to love it.

After her family moved to Oak Bay in 1964, Janet attended several nearby schools, finishing her K-12 education at Oak Bay Secondary.  Gorgeous since birth, Janet blossomed into a stunner and had modeling opportunities but chose to enroll at nearby UViC.  She took a range of courses before focusing on Anthropology and Archaeology, while working summer jobs at Some of Victoria’s finer retailers where her charm drew the customer like bees to pollen.  After graduating, Janet worked as an Archaeologist for the Royal Museum of B.C., arguably her dream career with which she identified the most for the rest of her life.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck, literally, when Janet was hit while driving to work by a reckless motorist.  She suffered debilitating injuries with lasting effects, including the immediate end of her archaeology career.  Janet worked hard to rehabilitate, drawing help from her family and especially her beloved dog, Toben Alden (‘Toby’ or ‘Tubso’ for short), a show-worthy Norwegian Elkhound with whom she walked for miles at a time.

As Janet got stronger, and after Toby died, she decided to get on with her life again, returning to UViC  with a plan to become a schoolteacher via the Post-Degree Professional Program.  It was here that Janet met her future husband, Mark, in a magical moment during the final exam period of the 1989 fall semester, when they discussed math, of all things (abelian groups, anyone?).  They did not meet again until well into the new year but their attraction to each other grew steadily through the spring semester.  They delighted in each other’s company and Mark, initially drawn by Janet’s beauty and vivacious personality, was convinced that she was ‘the one’ after meeting her lovely family.  By the fall, they had set a date and were married the next year in June.

Janet became pregnant early the next year and in December of 1991 gave birth to their daughter, Wilhelmina Janet Elizabeth.  This also marked the end of her teaching plans after a mild health scare convinced all that it would be best for her to concentrate on raising her child and taking care of her own well-being.

The years rolled along with many events, achievements, and challenges.  After years in an increasingly cramped condominium, Janet and Mark built a home in Gordon Head.  They also got not one but two dogs, Norwegian Elkhounds of course (Teddy and Freddie).

However, the years following included much loss, with both of Janet’s parents, and both of Mark’s parents as well, passing on.  This seemed to commence a noticeable decline in Janet’s energy levels and cognitive abilities, especially the death of her father which occurred only a year after the deaths of Teddy and Freddie.  Even the addition of two ‘new’ Elkhounds, Monty and Jordie, couldn’t stave off Janet’s worsening mental health, although she did greatly enjoy spending time with her family, whether shopping, going on house tours, or just driving with everyone loaded into the car.

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Janet’s fate was sealed.  With limited human contact, her decline accelerated and by the fall she was hospitalised after an episode of confusion caused her to become lost while driving.  She was released after a few days of tests and observations but was no longer permitted to drive and had to be watched more carefully.  After more incidents of increasing severity and frequency, as well as compromised communication capabilities, Janet was admitted to the Psychiatric Care Ward of the Royal Jubilee Hospital for palliative care and treatment in June of 2021, shortly before her and Mark’s 30^th anniversary.  Just as the paperwork for her transfer to a long-term care facility was being prepared, Janet died suddenly but peacefully in September after breakfast.

Janet is survived by husband Mark, daughter Wilhelmina, and brother Peter (Betsy).

“We miss her enormously”

Wilhelmina and Mark wish to thank the nursing staff at the RJH for their marvelous care of Janet, and of course the many people who have expressed best wishes to us and kind words about Janet.  Also, thanks to McCall Gardens Funeral and Cremation Service for their professional guidance through this trying time.

Sweetheart – we think of you so much that the pain is hard to bear.  We’ve shed enough tears to douse the forest fires of the world and missed so much sleep because nothing feels right anymore without you here to share it.  We’ll soldier on, though, because we must and because you would expect it.  We’ll learn to deal with the hurt and I suppose a time will come that we can occasionally do things without evoking memories of you and shaking with grief.  We will let faith console us that you are with your family and others, basking in the warmth and love that transcends earthly time.  We’ll be together again one day, looking out over the whitecaps and planning our future together…

God Bless You, always.

A Funeral Service for Janet was held in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens on Friday, September 24, 2021. To view a recording of the service, please click on the image below.

Condolences may be offered to the family below.

McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com