March 28th, 1919 - April 22nd, 2024
Our beloved mother, Jean Tucker-Galipeau, passed away April 22, 2024, weeks after celebrating her 105th birthday. She remained a force of nature until the end, and we were grateful that she continued to be comfortable and died with us by her side.
Jean grew up in Paisley, a small town in Ontario, the oldest daughter of Dr Robert Tucker and Viola Huton. She was very close to her 2 sisters, Doris and Blanche.
She excelled academically and graduated from Queen's University in 1941, with a degree in Mathematics and Physics.
She enjoyed her work as a trailblazer in the very new field of computing, going to MIT in Boston to work on the first computer in North America.
She continued to work in Canada at the National Research Council, and Atomic Energy, at Chalk River among others.
In the 1960s, she met John Galipeau, who would drop off dark chocolate candy bars (his favourites) on her desk.
She was a most remarkable Mom, and encouraged us to work hard and achieve our dreams, believing in our abilities, even before we had them.
We lived in Toronto, but Mom most cherished her time at the family cottage, at Inverhuron beach, on Lake Huron. There, she loved to swim, walk, and chat with neighbours and friends. It was hard to go for a walk, because Mom would have to stop every 10 minutes to talk at length with those she would meet along the way.
She was always interested in others, and her kindness and caring shone through. She almost never complained and always made the best of things.
We are grateful to Jane Ingravalle, a tremendous friend, who lovingly looked out for Mom when she lived on her own until she was 99!
Jean was a long time volunteer at the Princess Margaret hospital, and at The Cancer Society.
A proud mother, grammy and aunt, she doted on all her relatives, including her 3 grandchildren, Michelle, Robert and Maya. She was also close to her many nieces and nephews: Prof Suzanne Sheppard, Dr Robert Sheppard, Prof John Sheppard, Mary Anne Pennington-Foreman, David Pennington and Dawn Enman.
A Celebration of Life will be organized in the fall, at a date to be announced.
Below, is a link to an article written about Jean in the Queen's Alumni Review:
https://www.queensu.ca/alumnireview/articles/2021-08-04/family-legacy-science
In lieu of flowers, we would appreciate a donation to the charity of your choice.
Dr Lynne (Gordon Payne )and Dr Anne Galipeau (Jeffrey Rosebrugh)
Arrangements entrusted to Roadhouse and Rose Funeral Home