Jean Elizabeth Bosko

Dear Family and Friends,

Heaven gained a beautiful Angel on Earth who touched the hearts and lives of so many souls. She was Mama Jean to all of our friends, offering love, support and advice. She always made friends in a heartbeat with her warm smile, gift of listening and her famous hugs.

The Nurses said how lovely she was and how they loved caring for her right up until the end when she peacefully, surrounded in love; made her journey to be with her sweetheart. 

Jean told the internal medicine doctors on Thursday morning that she was done with this painful body and that she wanted to go “Home” and be with her sweetheart. God granted her with a ‘yes’ to her request and in Jeannie style she made sure her loved ones could say goodbye and then she danced off into the stars to join our Dad; with Don Williams singing “You’re my Best Friend”. I’m pretty sure I heard Dad fire up his Norton motorcycle to pick her up and head for the dance. Oh they loved to dance…it warms my heart to picture them looking into each other's eyes as they gracefully move around the dance floor. If anyone has seen them dance together, they know what I mean. It’s captivating.

Mama Jean leaves a legacy of tremendous friendships, creating memories, the love of music, being creative and crafty …and playing games… she loved playing cards. Please light a candle or play a hand of cards to honor our sweet Mama …and please hold us in your thoughts as we heal our broken hearts.

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Jean “Jeanie” Elizabeth Bosko (nee: Elliott) was born in Fairview Alberta where she lived with her parents Jim and Lillian and two siblings Gerry and Margaret. Their family moved to Lindell Beach on Cultus Lake where Mom really enjoyed exploring the hills and playing in the lake. She went to high school at Chilliwack Senior Secondary School where she met Fair Bosko and they started dating. Jean stayed with good family friends, the MacDonalds in Chilliwack when her parents moved to Kamloops. Gordon, Iris and their kids Barb, Doug and Bob became close family to Jean.

Jean took bookkeeping and worked at the Canada Packing plant in Vancouver. She also worked at a shoe store while she lived in Vancouver with her girlfriends Darlene and Carol.

In 1965 she married her high school sweetheart Fair, with their best friends Cork and Carol Rempel standing up for them. They moved to PG and had 2 children, Dale and Sandy, both born in Prince George, BC. The family moved from PG to Langley, briefly and then to Kamloops until they found a beautiful farm near Sorrento, in Notch Hill.

Throughout the years Fair and Jean built a cozy farm in Notch Hill, together with their family, never leaving adventures and fun out of the picture. The beach and ski slopes were as familiar to the family as the hay fields, fencing, gardening and multitude of chores on the farm. They worked hard and played hard and were always welcoming to family, friends and neighbors. Jean was always cooking up enough “to feed an army” and the neighbor kids were onto that! One summer Jean hosted all the family cousins to the tune of over 10 kids that she fed and kept entertained for a couple weeks!

Jean and the kids continued to work hard on the farm while Fair was away a lot with his work with CT&S. She held the farm together along with all her Mom and volunteering duties.

Jean and Fair both volunteered over the years with The Canadian Ski Patrol, 4H Club, and The Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life. Fair took early retirement so he and Jean could adventure with longtime friends Gordon and Iris to warmer climates with the snowbirds. They took several trips down the Oregon coast, through California and into Arizona for the winter. They would meet up with Dale for lunch along his trucking routes. One time a convoy of five of Dale's trucking buddies circled around their RV in Lodi California after a welcoming invite from Jean. She fed the whole crew soup and sandwiches and then also made them each a brown bag lunch of a sandwich, cookies and an apple!

Fair and Jean traveled every summer to visit Sandy in Alberta to help her with projects around her place, and eventually to the ranch in Saskatchewan where they helped with haying, fencing, building, fixing “everything” including building an addition and deck on their house. Jean always had yummy food, cooking for the whole crew to enjoy. She had a classic line every time she was visiting Sandy at whatever ranch she was living at; “Fair, she needs a light over the sink” and he would install a light for her. She also cleaned every sink P Trap in every house, (and there were lots of different houses over the years!)… until they sparkled and smelled fresh as new. She was a hard-working woman and always an example of perseverance and patience. Garden harvesting and preserving food were lifetime memories that continued at Sandy’s after Jean and Fair sold the farm. Picking plums and making her famous fruit leather is a continuing legacy.

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Mom was a dedicated wife and caregiver to my Dad, visiting him every day that she possibly could after he was moved into a care home. They would sit for hours on the couch holding hands and looking out the window.

Mom has joined her sweetheart in heaven after a week-long surrender to kidney failure. She made it clear to the doctors that she was done with this body, as she called it; and wanted to go see Fair, her sweetheart in Heaven. After the week-long revolving door of love and hugs, Mom naturally made her journey in the early morning. My Brother Dale, her sister Margaret and I were there surrounding her with love and holding her hands.

We are very grateful for the outpouring of love and support from her friends and for the community liaison staff, nurses and doctors at Shuswap Lake General Hospital.

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Jeannie passed away Sunday August 18th in Salmon Arm, BC at 7:50 am in the lovely Hospice Room at SLGH. She was always respectfully early, even to Heaven.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to Shuswap Hospice Society.