A life time resident of the Brinston area, Jean Wickwire passed away suddenly on Sunday Sept. 18, 2011.
Jean was born in Dixon’s Corners on December 18, 1945, to her parents Pringle and Greta Murphy (nee Burton).
As a young girl she spent some time in the family cheese factory wrapping butter, sliding from the snow piled near the roof against the rink shack at Johnston’s, swimming in a nearby creek and later at Fetterly’s quarry in Iroquois.
She attended public school in Dixon Corner’s and high school in Iroquois. Following high school, Jean worked for RCA in Prescott.
On December 18, 1965, Jean married Urcyl Wickwire of Brinston. They had two children.
Jean continued to work for RCA for a few years after her second child was born, but due to health reasons left the company. Jean baby sat other children for a short while until she gained employment with the Caldwell Linen Mill. She remained with the company until it closed its doors in 2006.
Jean enjoyed a life long love for reading anything that was printed, and she also enjoyed snowmobile runs on Saturday nights to Chesterville or Sunday afternoon runs on the Nation River with Urcyl.
In the spring it was time to fish for mud pout with her children. Later on she would watch her grandkids fish from the same bridge that she herself had caught an eel from.
She enjoyed skating “around the block” with her niece and nephews on the creek once it was frozen, and then a heated game of Aggravation with Ken and Ida.
As her children grew older, the pastimes changed from snowmobiling, go-carts and motorcycles, which she had purchased with her son, then it was on the river with the wave runners.
Jean enjoyed gardening and each season preserved pickles, tomatoes, and chili sauce. At one time she tried her hand at making wine and discovered it wasn’t a good idea to store her new product in a certain type of bottle.
She grew her own summer savory and laughed the first time it was placed on the clothes line to dry. She always said “the stuff you buy in the store isn’t the same.”
Jean looked forward to the Murphy family gatherings, where brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces and nephews could be visited and it was always a good spot to try out a new recipe whether it was one of her own or someone else’s.
When her children visited they would have to try the latest recipe she had made from either her favorite cooking magazines or her collection of cook books.
Jean also enjoyed having the neighbors Robbie and Ricky over for holidays so they could rave about her dressing made from her own summer savory, and her pie making skills. Robbie would always ask; “do your kids have the same passion for cooking as you do.”
The answer is “yes we do” and we thank you for that Mom.
Jean is survived by her husband Urcyl and her children Wendy (Tim) Murphy RR#1 Iroquois and Tom (Rose) Wickwire of Brinston.
She will be lovingly remembered by her siblings Garry (Della) Murphy of RR#1 Iroquois, Gale (Doug) Reynolds of Iroquois, Allan (Phyllis) Murphy of Dixon’s Corners, Wilda (Adriaan) Vandeemheen of Dixon’s Corners, Aden (Linda) Murphy of Williamsburg, Nancy (Guy) Croteau of Iroquois, and Edward Murphy of Winchester.
Jean will be fondly remembered by grandchildren Michelle and Jarret Murphy and Amelia, Daniel, Camille and Benjamin Wickwire.
She was predeceased by her parents Pringle and Greta Murphy (nee Burton) and an infant sister Ruth Ann.
She also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Friends called at the Marsden and McLaughlin Funeral Home, Iroquois on Tuesday, 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service was held at the home on Wednesday, September 21st at 11 am, with Rev. Janet Evans officiating.
Interment followed at the Spruce Haven Cemetery, Brinston.
Pallbearers were Daniel Wickwire, Jarret Murphy, Todd Croteau, Nick Croteau, Dennis Wylie and Jim Murphy.
Donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated by the family.
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