| Primary Medium Painting |
Home Goodfare, Beaverlodge |
Active 1970?-2012 |
Dates - |
Jean Wagner, formerly of Beaverlodge, passed away peacefully in her sleep at the Brentwood Care Center in Calgary on Sunday, May 20, 2012 at the age of 92 years. Jean Evans was born on December 28, 1919 in Broadview Saskatchewan, and moved to the Peace River country in 1935 hidden in a nest of blankets in a boxcar full of machinery with her mother to save what little money they had. The Evans family settled in the Gundy district and later in Goodfare. She met and married Henry Wagner in 1941 and they resided at Goodfare until their retirement when they moved to Beaverlodge. Henry passed away in 1995; Jean lived on her own until 2007 when she moved to Calgary to be near her sons Alan and Lee. In her life, Jean had many careers. First as a farm wife, raising children while doing her part to run the farm, and doing it all while Henry worked in sawmills in the winter. She later worked for many years in the Beaverlodge Hospital. When she left the Hospital, she went back to school for courses in business and accounting which led to a job with Foster’s Seed and Feed where she was a seed analyst and looked after the retail store. When she finally retired from that career, she was able to indulge full time her passion for artwork and display her considerable talent, a talent she shared with her daughter Colleen It was a point of pride for her when she and Colleen could put on joint shows. Jean’s artworks grace many homes and businesses in the Beaverlodge area. She encouraged local artists by putting on classes in her home. Jean had a terrific sense of humour, and was famous in the family for the seemingly endless supply of unsolvable puzzles she bought every Christmas. She had unconditional love for her children and the ability to make a life with few material treasures into a warm, inclusive place for them all. She was a hard working co-worker with Henry on the farm, and an outstanding employee when she worked for others