MASON, Jean Victoria (Northup) - Jean Victoria (Northup) Mason, 96, died peacefully in the presence of family, on Monday April 12, 2021 at the Chester Village care home in Toronto, where she had been a resident for the past year.
Wife of the late Corey Douglas Mason (1988).
Mother of Tonya Ludlow (David), Peggy Mason, Janet Mason (Peter Wallace), and Andrew Mason (Maydianne Andrade); grandmother of Amy Surette (Nevin), Matthew Mason-Philips (Maddy Maltby), Tessa Mason-Wallace (Alex Danco), Rosie Mason-Wallace, Lily & Glenn Mason; great-grandmother of Rory & Piper Surette, and Sylvie Danco.
Jean was the daughter of the late Earl and Gladys (McCulloch) Northup.
She was predeceased by sisters June, Phyllis, Elsie, Doris, and brother John, and is survived by sisters Polly, Loretta, and Mary, and sister-in-law Beth.
Jean was born in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, May 24 1924, and moved as a child to Clarkesville, then Stanley, NS. She often described her childhood as poor but full of love and the early death of her father while she was a teenager was a sorrow she carried throughout her life. She remained close to her siblings always and returned to Nova Scotia regularly to visit them and other relatives for most of her long life.
She married Corey in 1943. Jean relocated frequently with her family during Corey’s years in the Army during the war and the Air Force after the war, living in London, Barrie and Hamilton, Ontario, in England and France from 1954-57, then Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Ontario, before settling in Brockville, ON where Jean resided for 43 years (1972-2015), then moving to Toronto for her last years.
Moving was difficult for her but no matter how often she moved she always created a serene and lovely home. She had no opportunity for formal education, which she always regretted, and she educated herself, ultimately gaining her high school diploma, but more significantly education herself through her voracious reading. She was particularly interested in social justice, biography, philosophy and feminism. Above all she was a believer in the importance of education and her greatest pride was that all her children attended post-secondary education.
After her children left home, she entered the work force, bringing her considerable energy to her job at Dharma Natural Foods in Brockville for several years, and was enormously proud to have done so. Jean was shy but stubborn and determined.
She learned to drive when she was 63, after her husband died and she maintained a fierce independence throughout her long widowhood. She faced many challenges in her life but probably the most difficult for her was the diminishing of her capacity in her later years which she resisted with all her determination. But despite these challenges, those who knew her in her later years often commented on her warmth and beautiful smile. She loved to laugh and had a great appreciation for comedy.
Jean believed in health and nutrition with an almost religious fervor and had utmost faith that a vigorous walk is the most essential form of exercise. She maintained a regimen of daily walks, at a pace that never diminished, throughout her life, and was familiar to many in town whose houses she passed.
And while Jean was a modest woman, she loved fashion and took pride in her appearance. She was always a beautiful woman but as she aged, her youthful appearance was increasingly remarkable, as is evidenced by pictures taken at her 90th birthday celebration.
Jean had a great love of nature and a deep regard for all living things that was eloquently expressed in her garden. A feature of every home she occupied, the garden grew to spectacular proportions over her many years in Brockville, and was populated with plants she collected during her travels. She always found great joy in the arrival of Spring.
Most of all, Jean was a loving and active mother and grandmother. She brought great caring, warmth and energy to her family always supporting and helping whenever she could. She will be greatly missed.
Arrangements entrusted with Trull funeral home.
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