April 25, 1934 ~ December 16, 2015
Irene was born in Toronto to Valentine and Anna Juszczak (nee Nowak), both immigrants from Poland. At Toronto’s Central Commerce High School, Irene graduated at the top of her class, a reference so attractive that she was hired immediately as executive secretary to the President of CN Rail. Her spare time, though, was spent as a senior member of the Young Christian Workers (YCW) organization. Through its auspices she was able to attend international YCW congresses in a variety of countries, enabling her to sample a diversity of different cultures and social philosophies. But Canada was largely an enigma to her.
Thus, at the age of 29 and about to begin the second third of her life, Irene embarked on a cross-country road trip across our vast country to deliver a car to its owner in Vancouver. Although this trip was carried out with the assistance of one other driver (and one older non-driving passenger), the two drivers had both obtained their licences only days before the trip. Nevertheless they managed to cross the Rockies without serious mishap, a feat that defies comprehension. On reaching the west coast, they were either so overwhelmed by the beauty surrounding them or so exhausted by the trip itself that in lieu of returning home they decided instead to continue attempting to civilize the local inhabitants by their presence.
A search for an appropriate job in British Columbia led Irene to a position as a departmental secretary in the University of BC’s Faculty of Science. As the secretary responsible for the welfare of the many faculty within the University’s Physics department, she came to recognize that one individual would be easier to manage than the full complement of a university department. Thus, after an appropriate time interval, Irene married one of them, Dr. Garth Jones, thereby trading her fascinating surname for a rather common one. During the following 50 years of marriage, she bore and raised two children, the first a girl, Arwenna, and the second a boy, Neil. In addition, she helped raise a step-granddaughter, Kyra Galli. She tended the development of all these children with the same degree of love and care as that extended to her valued garden and houseplants. Arwenna, in turn, eventually sampled motherhood with the birth of a boy, Brenden, the undoubted apple of his grandmother’s eye.
Retirement in 1997 meant a new (the third) phase of life, characterized by a move from the city of Vancouver to the rural environment of Halfmoon Bay on the Sunshine Coast of BC. During retirement, Irene’s spiritual life matured, too. Although in her heart she was always a Roman Catholic, she very much relished the broadening of her outlook facilitated by sampling religious services in different churches and partaking in the varied lectures and talks offered. Throughout this period, however, she always considered St. Hilda’s Anglican church as her home church, and in this regard, she revelled in her ability to successfully complete their EFM (Education for Ministry) course.
Finally, having started her life in western Canada as the result of an automobile trip in a borrowed car, Irene, at the age of 81, ended her life there by passing away while driving her own car. This fatal single-car accident occurred while Irene was returning home from a shopping trip with her grandson. Fortunately, tender care provided by the staff at Children`s Hospital (Vancouver) provided the grandson with the ability necessary to recover from the injuries he sustained.
Besides her husband Garth, her son Neil, her daughter Arwenna (Bob Wertheimer), grandson Brenden, and step-granddaughter Kyra Galli, Irene is survived by her brother Hank (Gail Greer).
Throughout her life, Irene was known for her positive approach to life, her generosity of spirit and her love for all those with whom she came in contact. One acquaintance described her as a “thoughtful, compassionate person with a keen sense of humour.” Another wrote of her wonderful smile, a person who had one of the most welcoming faces she encountered when she first came to Sechelt. Also received was the comment that “Irene was a gentle, kind, authentic, and steadfast soul who made the world a better place for her presence in it.”
Those in her immediate family also attest to the enormous benefit they enjoyed from the unlimited support and encouragement Irene bestowed upon them throughout their lives. As the bedrock and cornerstone of the family, Irene will be sorely missed.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation or to a charity of your choice.
A celebration of Irene’s life will be held at St. Hilda’s Anglican Church in Sechelt, BC, at 2:00 pm on Saturday, January 23, 2016.