Kathleen Jean Craig was born Saturday, August 9, 1941 in Owen Sound to Clarence and Isabelle (MacDonald) Craig. Not only was it a significant day for those of us who knew and loved Jean, it was also the same day that Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met on board the U.S.S. Augusta for the first of many high-level personal collaborations until the end of World War II.
Jean was the eldest sister to Jim and Debbie and they grew on a farm outside of Williamsford. It was the one room school house, Kinghurst, they attended one half concession down from their farm as well another school. A woman well ahead of her time, Jean attended Georgian College in Owen Sound taking Business.
When Jean first met Ray Melvin Strucke it was love at first sight. They dated for three years and were then married at Trinity Anglican Church in Chesley on Saturday July 29, 1961. The Reverend William G. Kidnew, now retired, officiated and Ray Schmidt and Nancy Yeoman were witnesses. It was yet another auspicious day, not only because Ray and Jean were joined in holy matrimony but also because, as Jean was an avid lover of music and especially Country Western music, Patsy Cline sang at a concert in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A recording was made of the live performance and thirty years after Cline’s death in 1963, the tape was purchased at a yard sale. MCA Records bought the rights, enhanced the sound quality, and on July 29, 1997, released it in CD form as Live at the Cimarron Ballroom. Their honeymoon consisted of a one day trip to Sauble Beach with another couple.
Jean and Ray made their first home in an apartment above the insurance company on 1st Avenue in Chesley. This was a foreshadowing of things to come as Jean later worked at that same insurance company. In time, the young couple bought a home on 4th Street S.W. and lived there for twelve years. It was during this time that the light of their lives was born in 1963, Paul Raymond. They then purchased a lot on 4th Avenue S.E. and in 1975 built their current home.
The farm property of fourteen acres was big enough that Jean could plant and water her flowers and vegetables, tend to her pond and frogs, house her three hundred book library in one of the sheds, enjoy cutting the grass aboard her riding lawnmower, and drive her golf cart. While tending to Ray and Paul, her home and yard, Jean also always worked outside of the home. Even though Jean was trained in business she returned to school to take nursing. She worked for years at Parkview Manor both as a nurse and also in the business office. As most know in Chesley, Jean’s last position was as Assistant Post Mistress at the Chesley Post Office where she dutifully and efficiently served the public.
Jean was ambitious, a hard worker and highly intelligent. She was a beautiful woman, both inside and out, and had a great sense of humour. Great pictures were taken of their numerous anniversary and New Year’s Eve antics, especially with Maurice and Marlene (now sadly deceased) Byers.
Jean grew up in a musical family. Her father played the electric steel guitar and his wife Audrey played the drums in the same band. Not only did Jean like old Country & Western music she also liked classical music along with Bluegrass and Rhythm & Blues. Jean’s love of classical music never did rub off on Ray nor did her love of dancing. Lovely memories consist of Jean playing their piano in the basement of her home and singing along with Lane, one of her grandsons. The radio was listened to in the house as well as in the car and the Hanover radio station (now Blue Water) was a particular favourite of Jean’s. Another precious memory is of Jean’s other grandson Craig. One day the family was in the CTC store and he fell in love with a red battery operated Jeep. Grandma and Grandpa bought it for him and he would drive it outside on the lawn, down the paved driveway and sometimes, even, in the rec room! Often Craig would put the hood up and try to fix it!
As previously mentioned, Jean loved her books. As any enthusiastic reader does, Jean always had a number of books on the go at one time. Her library consists of Shakespeare to Biblical Dictionaries to Maeve Binchy to Dr. Brian Weiss. Jean was a deeply spiritual person who loved to watch Rev. Arnold Murray of The Shepherd’s Chapel and Joyce Meyer, charismatic Christian author and speaker. Given her love of music, it should not come as a surprise that Jean also loved to watch musicals and collected a number of VHSs. Royal Dalton figurines line the shelves of a display case and family photos, both recent and historic, line the walls of the rec room in their basement.
Jean was not much of a traveller, yet really enjoyed taking day trips. Shopping trips to Costco in Kitchener/Cambridge and Guelph were most certainly highlights. Eating out, visiting Boldt Castle on Heart Island in the St. Lawrence River, touring the Bruce Peninsula, and even driving north to Timmins and coming home on the Chichiman ferry were times of enjoyment and memory making.
Time spent snowmobiling, motorcycling to the Meaford and Eugenia area in the Fall for breakfast, watching car races at the track in the farmer’s field in Port Elgin and the stock car races at McCullogh Lake, as well as going to car shows also filled Jean’s life fully. Having her two grandsons on weekends also filled Jean’s life with love and sweet memories. And speaking of sweet, Jean loved to bake and two of her family favourites were Sour Cream Rhubarb Pie and Oh Henry Squares. Yummy! Jean conscientiously taught her family the value of staying until the work was done, the importance of saving money, the merit of working hard, as well as how to play the stock market!
Jean retired from the Post Office in 2002-2003 and regrettably in April of 2014 suffered her first of numerous strokes. Jean spent most of this past month in the hospital, and rehabilitation, in Owen Sound. Around supper time Kathleen “Jean” Strucke suffered a final and major stroke. A few days later she peacefully slipped away surrounded by her family. It was Tuesday, September 6, 2016 and she was at Grey Bruce Health Services, Owen Sound. Jean was only in her 76th year.
Beloved wife of Ray for fifty-five years. Loving mother of Paul and his wife Joan of Hanover. Jean will be dearly missed by her two grandsons, Craig (Brooke) and Lane (Ashley). Jean will be fondly remembered by her sister Debbie (Rick) Hiltz, stepmother Audrey Craig as well as Ray’s siblings, Murray (Sue), Marjorie Schmidt and Carol White. She was predeceased by her brother Jim (Shirley) Craig, brother-in-law Harold Davey and her parents Clarence and Isabelle (MacDonald) Craig.
Jean has requested that cremation take place with a private family inurnment to follow at the Chesley Cemetery.
Memorial donations to the Chesley Hospital Foundation or Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.
