Jean Beasley

Jean Kerr (McAskill) Beasley

February 10, 1933 – September 28, 2016



Jean was born on February 10th, 1933 to Anne and Alexander McAskill in Lanarkshire Scotland.  Life in Scotland was busy for Jean as she took part in her schooling, dancing and chores around the house with sisters Paddy and Kate.  They were raised with not a lot of money but food on the table, a warm hearth and love from family.  At a young age, tragedy struck with the loss of their father.  So Jean being the eldest took on lots of responsibilities to help the family through hard times.  She always made things fun even with meager resources.  Singing being one of her passions, lightened the hearts of everyone around her.



Her mother met a strapping young Canadian officer, Harold Thomas, during the Second World War.  Soon Jean, along with her mother and sisters Minola, Paddy and Kate were packing up their belongings and their lives to come to Canada and start a new chapter.  The trip was filled with many wonders such as special fruits and candies.  They landed in Halifax at Pier 21 in April of 1946.  After a long journey across Canada by train, they arrived in Carrot Creek Alberta.  What a culture shock!  These young lasses arrived in Kilts, tams and white socks to find out they really should be wearing wool coats, jeans and rubber boots.  The one thing that perplexed them was all the farmers praying for rain---in Scotland you would pray for sun.  Many things were different; no coal heater, no electricity, no paved roads, just a two room cabin and lots of lessons to learn.  Shortly after Jean’s arrival in Canada she was blessed with a fourth sister, Lynn.  During the next few years the Thomas clan took them under their wings and taught them what needed to be done and how to do it.  Along with that, Bud Thomas had a guitar and taught Jean how to play.  She often said that was one of the best things that happened to her as it gave her an easy way to make friends and she was always the centre of many a hill party and community gatherings.



When the farm life lost its charm in the late forties, Jean and Paddy moved to Edmonton where a whole big world opened up once again.  Quickly adjusting to big city life, Jean worked at Paramount shoes, Metropolitan and The Bay over the course of the next few years.



In 1951 Jean would go on her biggest adventure yet.  Along with sister Paddy, they took a contract to work in the kitchen at the Eldorado Mine site near Uranium City Saskatchewan.  Their job was to work in the cookery and serve breakfast lunch and supper to over 800 men.  They were up at 06:00 a.m. to begin serving breakfast at 07:00, then they would prepare for lunch service at 12:00 noon.  They would have a short break in the afternoon that would allow them to drive in to Uranium City to visit the local dress shop.  Only to return to serve supper at 6:00 p.m.  With only one day off a month it didn’t provide a lot of time for socializing but Jean being Jean, managed to get invited to play guitar and sing at the local hall. As well she was invited to many social gatherings where she would play and sing (sometimes with the assistance of a number of young Irish lads who all sang and played as well).  It was at one of these socials she met Pat Beasley who was working at the mine as well.  The relationship grew and in March of 1955 they were married in Edson at a double ceremony with Paddy and Terry O’Toole.



The happy couple returned to the north until 1958.  They then returned to Edmonton where Patrice Jean was born in 1960.  In 1961 Maxine Anne came along and they then moved to Carrot Creek.  Lawrence Harold was born in 1963 and the Beasley family was complete.



The early days with a young family were a lot of work for Jean as Pat continued to make a living up north.  But there was lots of family and friends nearby to help out.

In 1973 Pat and Jean bought Chris & Pearl’s General store and Post office.  And after many hours of creative thinktanking and brainstorming, they named the new store Pat & Jeans General Store.  Jean was Post Mistress, Commissioner of Oaths as well as proprietor and a well-respected community member.  If you wanted to know anything about the area, people or what was happening, Jean was the go to girl.

Jean’s involvement in the community was very broad, such as the community development groups, curling club, Rec Board and so many more.  In later years she stayed involved by participating in the art club which she treasured dearly for the art and the people she shared it with.



Pat & Jean’s General store was sold 14 years later.  Those years had been very busy for Jean.  Minding the store, keeping involved in the community and raising her kids.  One of the bonuses of all this hard work was trips to Hawaii where her passion for flowers bloomed and she enjoyed the warm weather.

Retirement was well deserved and with new freedom Pat and Jean took flight with the other snow birds and started a long and very enjoyable run of winter holidays in Quartzite Arizona.  In true family fashion, the sisters would converge and share in the good times.  The family back home would treasure their stories and always be amazed at the number of different humming bird t-shirts Jean could come home with.  The desert brought out the artist in Jean as well.  She mastered making dreamcatcher jewelry.  Once the family all received their special pieces, Jean would flog the remainder at the Edson market.



During the retirement years and up to present day, Jean celebrated the birth of her 9 grandchildren and got to witness some of them start in their own journeys of wedded bliss.

Jean spend the last years of her life enjoying the many gatherings with her friends and family.  She was particularly joyful as she watched the wonderment and curiosity in her great grandchildren’s eyes as they start life’s experiences of their own.



Memories from the Beasley kids:

Growing up as children of Jean Beasley meant that if you work hard you will get to have fun later.  This way of looking at life transferred to cousins, friends and strays.  Mom always kept the rules and traditions which was instilled in us from her upbringing in Scotland.

Mum always set the pace for what was going to happen in a day.  Just ask Uncle Melvin who, while in Quartzite with mum & dad would ask dad what they were all doing today.  They would smile at each other knowingly.  The plan would be made when Jean told them what the plan was.  Or you could ask some of the older cousins when they would try desperately to plant the seed of a trip to the lake tomorrow with aunty Jean the night before.  The plan would be announced the next morning with an “All Hands On Deck” list of things to get ready.  We would all pitch in and it would happen.

With mum it didn’t matter how many kids were in the yard only that everyone would abide by the rules.  Rules like “everyone gets to hit the ball, no matter how many tries it takes” when playing scrub in the yard.  Or the other rule that any race could be started over if Raymond “fell down”.  No one ever really seemed to push the rules in fear of what the punishment might be. Even if you tried to get cocky, mum could beat you at any race to put you in your place.  Oldest took care of youngest, youngest kept oldest honest.

Keep food simple; Ham & Potato Salad, sloppy joes, hamburger stew or hot dogs.  And lots of Kool-aid (even if you had to drink it out of beer bottles (our favorites)).



So many precious moments, memories, lessons and love.  We will miss you Jean.

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