Obituary for Wendy Lee Jackson (nee Turner)
JACKSON, Wendy Lee (nee Turner)
It is with great sadness that the family of Wendy Jackson announces her sudden passing on Monday, May 31, 2021, after experiencing a brain aneurysm at home. She was 70 years old.
This will not be your typical obituary, that would be too boring for Wendy. Instead, the family has decided to share with you more information than you probably need to know, as this is how we remember her.
Wendy will be remembered always by her husband of 45 years, James, who loved her very much and did an amazing job of looking after her all these years but also knew how to push her buttons – and did it daily. Their loving banter with one another earned them the nickname “The Bickerson’s”.Her daughters, MacKenzie Jackson (Chris Irwin) and Erica Jackson, would often take advantage of Wendy’s tendencies to believe anything they told her and even upon death, she still was not quite sure who had drunk her Malibu Rum in 1994 that was hiding in the back of the cupboard. (It was Erica.)
Wendy’s stepdaughter Gail Jackson (Doug Willard) lovingly called her “the wicked stepmother”, a name we are sure she gave to herself and never quite lived up to.
Wendy will live on fondly in the hearts as “Nanny” to her four wonderful grandchildren, Jade, Kat, Kaia, and Noah. She never parted company with any of her grandchildren without one of them saying “I love you!” and other always responding “I love you more!” and then back to the first saying “I love you more!”
She will be greatly missed by her best friend of fifty-one years, Marie DeYoung, who was more like a sister to Wendy. When these two ladies were together the mood in the room was unpredictable and light. There was often mischief such as starting campfires with lighter fluid or buying each other ridiculous hats to wear in public when they were out together. For many years, Wendy and Marie travelled together often on “girls’ trips” and no stories ever came back, so we assume they were up to no good the whole trip. They also got together at least once a week to play cards or board games. A running joke between the two was referring to each other as the “cheater” all the while giggling over coffee and sugary treats during their weekly Scrabble games. After many games, Marie began to doubt the words Wendy was putting down for extraordinary points and so she began bringing her own dictionary to game night, just to keep Wendy in line.
Wendy is survived by her older brother Bob Turner (Nancy Sjonger) who affectionately called her “Gunky” and predeceased by her older brother Eric Turner who simply called her “Sis”. I think it is clear, which brother she liked better. One of the childhood memories of Wendy takes us way back. Their father was in the Army, and so the family travelled and lived all over the world when they were young. When Wendy was a preteen, around 12 years old, they were living in Germany and her parents had gotten word from the teacher that she had walked away from school. She was not a particularly good student and often picked fights with her teacher, so she had reason to storm out and not have to do her work. Wendy’s father eventually found her (with a little help from her brothers) in the local pub, drinking beer from a boot and completely “betrunken”.
Wendy will also be forever remembered by her numerous nieces, nephews, extended family, and dear friends, who also had a lot of different nicknames for her, all of which she liked. One of her favourite sayings was, “you can call me whatever you want, but you will never call me late for dinner”. Add some of her other favourite sayings such as “you betcha!” and “now you are cooking with oil” and you had your self a full day of eye-rolling. Wendy was born in St. John, New Brunswick, but in her late twenties settled in with her husband and raised her young family in Seeley’s Bay and then later in Kingston. She was a long-time employee with the Correctional Service of Canada working at various penitentiaries in Kingston and Kitchener. Wendy had been a carefree happy retiree since 2013. She literally did not let the door hit her on the way out.Wendy enjoyed staying close to home, and especially enjoyed sitting in the sunshine by the big picture window, or on her backyard deck, with a hot black coffee and a cigarette in hand to watch the birds and other wildlife around her. Wendy was a planner and never in a hurry to be anywhere, but always drove like she was. She had numerous traffic tickets and we are pretty sure the Kingston Police Traffic Unit knew her by name.Wendy was a huge Toronto Blue Jays baseball fan and never missed watching a game, even with company in the house. Sitting in her favourite chair with her fur-baby (dog) Charlie on her lap, she would always cheer loudly for the team, as if she were at the ballpark and the players could hear her. Speaking of which, Wendy was loud at every sporting event she attended. When her daughter MacKenzie played competitive baseball, Wendy would sit up in the stands with her friend Willa Campbell, and the two of them would chat, laugh, smoke cigarettes, drink black coffee from thermos lids, and yell and cheer so loud, no one else at the ballpark could be heard. An especially memorable day was when MacKenzie was running the bases, on her way toward third base with intense concentration and all she could hear was her mother yelling “GO HOME! GO HOME!” As she approached home plate, all she heard was “GET DOWN! GET DOWN!” and so she did what she was told, and she slid across home plate scoring a run. When MacKenzie looked up she found that the baseball was still in the hands of the centre fielder, and she had just torn up her leg on the uneven hard gravel of the batter’s box for nothing. MacKenzie still has the leg scars. Wendy giggled about that for the rest of her life.She loved to laugh and tease. She found the humour in almost everything. She was an extremely caring person by nature and would help anyone out if she could. But anyone who knew her knew not to upset her, because she was also a strong straight-shooter who would let you know exactly what she was thinking.
Wendy was an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, and friend to everyone. She will be deeply missed, but with too many great stories to tell, she will never be forgotten. The family would like to request your stories of Wendy, in writing, so they can be read, reread, and shared for many years to come.Cremation has taken place, and a celebration of Wendy’s life will be arranged when health protocols allow for a proper gathering. Memorial donations in Wendy’s memory can be made to New Leaf Link (https://www.newleaflink.ca/donate) or the Canadian Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.ca/donate)
It is with great sadness that the family of Wendy Jackson announces her sudden passing on Monday, May 31, 2021, after experiencing a brain aneurysm at home. She was 70 years old.
This will not be your typical obituary, that would be too boring for Wendy. Instead, the family has decided to share with you more information than you probably need to know, as this is how we remember her.
Wendy will be remembered always by her husband of 45 years, James, who loved her very much and did an amazing job of looking after her all these years but also knew how to push her buttons – and did it daily. Their loving banter with one another earned them the nickname “The Bickerson’s”.Her daughters, MacKenzie Jackson (Chris Irwin) and Erica Jackson, would often take advantage of Wendy’s tendencies to believe anything they told her and even upon death, she still was not quite sure who had drunk her Malibu Rum in 1994 that was hiding in the back of the cupboard. (It was Erica.)
Wendy’s stepdaughter Gail Jackson (Doug Willard) lovingly called her “the wicked stepmother”, a name we are sure she gave to herself and never quite lived up to.
Wendy will live on fondly in the hearts as “Nanny” to her four wonderful grandchildren, Jade, Kat, Kaia, and Noah. She never parted company with any of her grandchildren without one of them saying “I love you!” and other always responding “I love you more!” and then back to the first saying “I love you more!”
She will be greatly missed by her best friend of fifty-one years, Marie DeYoung, who was more like a sister to Wendy. When these two ladies were together the mood in the room was unpredictable and light. There was often mischief such as starting campfires with lighter fluid or buying each other ridiculous hats to wear in public when they were out together. For many years, Wendy and Marie travelled together often on “girls’ trips” and no stories ever came back, so we assume they were up to no good the whole trip. They also got together at least once a week to play cards or board games. A running joke between the two was referring to each other as the “cheater” all the while giggling over coffee and sugary treats during their weekly Scrabble games. After many games, Marie began to doubt the words Wendy was putting down for extraordinary points and so she began bringing her own dictionary to game night, just to keep Wendy in line.
Wendy is survived by her older brother Bob Turner (Nancy Sjonger) who affectionately called her “Gunky” and predeceased by her older brother Eric Turner who simply called her “Sis”. I think it is clear, which brother she liked better. One of the childhood memories of Wendy takes us way back. Their father was in the Army, and so the family travelled and lived all over the world when they were young. When Wendy was a preteen, around 12 years old, they were living in Germany and her parents had gotten word from the teacher that she had walked away from school. She was not a particularly good student and often picked fights with her teacher, so she had reason to storm out and not have to do her work. Wendy’s father eventually found her (with a little help from her brothers) in the local pub, drinking beer from a boot and completely “betrunken”.
Wendy will also be forever remembered by her numerous nieces, nephews, extended family, and dear friends, who also had a lot of different nicknames for her, all of which she liked. One of her favourite sayings was, “you can call me whatever you want, but you will never call me late for dinner”. Add some of her other favourite sayings such as “you betcha!” and “now you are cooking with oil” and you had your self a full day of eye-rolling. Wendy was born in St. John, New Brunswick, but in her late twenties settled in with her husband and raised her young family in Seeley’s Bay and then later in Kingston. She was a long-time employee with the Correctional Service of Canada working at various penitentiaries in Kingston and Kitchener. Wendy had been a carefree happy retiree since 2013. She literally did not let the door hit her on the way out.Wendy enjoyed staying close to home, and especially enjoyed sitting in the sunshine by the big picture window, or on her backyard deck, with a hot black coffee and a cigarette in hand to watch the birds and other wildlife around her. Wendy was a planner and never in a hurry to be anywhere, but always drove like she was. She had numerous traffic tickets and we are pretty sure the Kingston Police Traffic Unit knew her by name.Wendy was a huge Toronto Blue Jays baseball fan and never missed watching a game, even with company in the house. Sitting in her favourite chair with her fur-baby (dog) Charlie on her lap, she would always cheer loudly for the team, as if she were at the ballpark and the players could hear her. Speaking of which, Wendy was loud at every sporting event she attended. When her daughter MacKenzie played competitive baseball, Wendy would sit up in the stands with her friend Willa Campbell, and the two of them would chat, laugh, smoke cigarettes, drink black coffee from thermos lids, and yell and cheer so loud, no one else at the ballpark could be heard. An especially memorable day was when MacKenzie was running the bases, on her way toward third base with intense concentration and all she could hear was her mother yelling “GO HOME! GO HOME!” As she approached home plate, all she heard was “GET DOWN! GET DOWN!” and so she did what she was told, and she slid across home plate scoring a run. When MacKenzie looked up she found that the baseball was still in the hands of the centre fielder, and she had just torn up her leg on the uneven hard gravel of the batter’s box for nothing. MacKenzie still has the leg scars. Wendy giggled about that for the rest of her life.She loved to laugh and tease. She found the humour in almost everything. She was an extremely caring person by nature and would help anyone out if she could. But anyone who knew her knew not to upset her, because she was also a strong straight-shooter who would let you know exactly what she was thinking.
Wendy was an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, and friend to everyone. She will be deeply missed, but with too many great stories to tell, she will never be forgotten. The family would like to request your stories of Wendy, in writing, so they can be read, reread, and shared for many years to come.Cremation has taken place, and a celebration of Wendy’s life will be arranged when health protocols allow for a proper gathering. Memorial donations in Wendy’s memory can be made to New Leaf Link (https://www.newleaflink.ca/donate) or the Canadian Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.ca/donate)