November 19, 1924 – December 29, 2015
Jean Evelyn Pitt was born November 19, 1924 to Willard Francis and Ethyl Jane (Leslie) Wilson, and was raised on a farm in the Markdale area. She was the youngest of four children; Harold (Rusty), Dorothy and Ina. Jean’s mother died when she was just 6 years old. In time, she became sister to two half-brothers, Keith and David.
While in Lauriston Public School, Jean came to know a young boy, Leslie Pitt, who was renouned for his British short pants. Despite this awkward, unfashionable beginning, their relationship, in time, deepened and became a life long commitment.
Like her sisters before her, Jean left the farm at a young age and moved to Toronto. She lived there with her two sisters during the war, and worked in a toaster factory, as well as a munitions factory. While on leave from the Airforce, Les and Jean were married in Toronto on December 31, 1942. The wedding was delayed many hours due to a terrible blizzard which prevented the trains from eastern Canada from arriving on time. Jean met a number of trains that did not bear her fiancé but finally the groom arrived and the wedding proceeded. Les and Jean would have celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary last night, New Year’s Eve, 2015.
Jean and Les moved to several different air bases during the war, as Les served as a flight instructor in the Canadian Air Force. These places included Assiniboine, Saskatchewan; Gander, Newfoundland; and, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. For a few months before the war ended, Jean returned to her sisters in Toronto, while Les was stationed in England.
Following the war, Les and Jean lived with her brother Rusty, gaining farming experience in order to claim their Veteran’s Land Grant. Together with Ina (Jean’s sister), and Jim Boynton, they searched for two adjacent farms. Eventually, during the terrible snow storm of 1947, they moved to the Grey-Bruce County Line near Chesley. Their new neighbours, with horses and sleighs, picked up the two young families, as roads were closed to motor vehicles. The Pitts and Boyntons were seen as young upstarts who intended to farm without horses! Jean always preferred outside farm work to cooking or cleaning! This was good, since Les worked off the farm for many years and Jean was the primary farmer.
Over the next few years, Jean and Les had four children, Sharon, Ron, Maurine and Brian; followed by six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Jean and Les were square dance enthusiasts for decades, and attended every National Square Dance Convention across Canada from 1978 to 2008. Jean also loved other vacations including trips to Alaska, Australia, Barbados, England, Florida, the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, and across Canada. For her 80th birthday, rather than a party Jean chose to travel to Costa Rica with eight other family members. Jean’s other interests included camping, sunsets, campfires, wild blueberries (not domestic), fall colours, oil painting, sewing, and knitting.
From early days on the farm, Jean had a vision of a lovely pond directly north of the house. This became a reality in 1968 and has been greatly enjoyed by four generations of the family for several years. The pond will be remembered as Jean’s legacy for years to come.
To know Jean was to know her stoicism, determination, frugality and common sense. She was a resilient, hard-working lady who was a woman’s libber before the term was coined.
Beloved wife and best friend of Les. Loving mother of Sharon (Ralph) Schmidt of R.R. #2 Desboro, Ron (Marilyn) Pitt of Calgary and Maurine (John) Gillberry of Milton. Dear grandmother to Rob and Krista, Jill and Erin, Danielle and Megan. Precious great-grandmother to Joshua, Ryan, Tylie, Gavin, Avery, Quinn, Jackson and Myka. Jean will be remembered by her half-brother Keith (Leora) Wilson of Markdale and brother-in-law Bert (Beverly) Osborne of Owen Sound. Jean was predeceased by son, Brian, brother, Harold (May) Wilson, sisters Dorothy (Archie) Young, Ina (Jim) Boynton, half-brother David Wilson, brother-in-law, Harry (Ruth) Osborne, sister-in-law Irene (Ross) Baumber and her parents, Willard and Ethyl (Leslie) Pitt.
The family will receive friends and relatives at Rhody Family Funeral Home, Chesley on Saturday, January 2, 2016 from 1 p.m. until the celebration of Jean’s life at 2 p.m. Inurnment in Chesley Cemetery at a later date.
In Jean’s memory, memorial donations may be made to Participation Lodge or to the charity of your choice.
