Obituary of Jean Bernice Drummond Larmour

Jean passed away peacefully on September 27, 2019 at the age of 94 years. Predeceased by her husband Don; parents Effie and Joe Shepley; sisters Eve and Marj; and brother Jack, Jean is survived by her children Anne, Shirley, and Don (Debra); eleven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; special niece Bette; as well as numerous other nieces and nephews.

Jean Larmour was born Jean Bernice Drummond Shepley, the beloved, miracle, ‘after-thought’ baby of Joseph and Effie Shepley of North Battleford, Saskatchewan. She had two much-older sisters, but her only brother died tragically many years before her birth.

Jean’s childhood spanned the ‘Dirty Thirties’, and she was raised in the province that was hit hardest by those dark times. However, in no way did Jean suffer because of it. Her parents were cultured, educated and affluent pillars of the North Battleford community. Jean experienced an enriched and comfortable upbringing that was, for the times, surprisingly unrestricted. She often described her childhood as “idyllic”.

Jean was a clever, talented, and accomplished student through school.  She played the piano, enjoyed being on stage in plays and musicals, and won oratory competitions. Her valedictory address at graduation was of such maturity and quality that her principal thought (incorrectly) it had been written by her father.  There was, of course, no monetary obstacle to Jean attending university.  In 1946, she was in the first graduating class in Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

Immediately after university, Jean moved to Regina to take up a position as a government research economist in the Department of Co-ops.  Clever, versatile, and supremely confident she aced a man’s job in a man’s field, commanding a man’s pay.

Jean was a life-long academic, book-lover, and Bridge enthusiast, but her interests were not just intellectual.  She also enjoyed golf, badminton, tennis, curling, and hiking.

One day a colleague working at the Legislative Buildings set Jean up on a blind date with one of the new young engineers in the Department of Highways.  This young civil engineer, Don Larmour, was smitten at the first sight of her.  He remained so for the rest of his life.  Only months before his death he described in glowing terms the magic moment when he first laid eyes on “his little Jeannie” and knew that she was the girl for him.  For her part, Jean, when in her eighties, said that Don was “the handsomest man I ever met”.  They were married in 1949.

When their three children, Anne, Shirley and Don, were all in school, Jean began her studies in History at the new Regina Campus attached to the University of Saskatchewan.  She earned a B.A. in History. She continued in graduate studies, earning a Master’s degree in that field, specializing in Saskatchewan history.  After graduating for the third time, Jean worked in the Provincial Archives, then ended her career teaching History at the University of Regina.

Tragically, her husband Don died shortly after Jean retired, but the feisty determination that marked her in her younger life did not fail her through this life change.  Now alone, Jean traveled, lectured for Elderhostel, and continued to be very active in her long-time spiritual home, Sunset United Church.  In her seventies she learned to play the mandolin, joining the Regina Mandolin Orchestra.

When she considered the rich tapestry of her life—her careers, her family, her travels and her friends—she would smile and say “I was so Lucky.  It was Good”.

No service is planned.  Interment will be held at a later date in Lanigan Cemetery.

Family and friends so wishing may make donations, in memoriam, to Sunset United Church, Santa Maria Senior Citizens Home, Alzheimer Society, or the charity of their choice.