Jocelyn Corbett

We are heartbroken to announce our beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and aunt Jocelyn Violet Rathbone Corbett passed away unexpectedly but peacefully at Kelowna General Hospital on January 8th 2023 after a short illness.

Jocelyn was born on April 5th 1930 in Vancouver, the eldest daughter of Eric and Winnifred Rathbone, and grew up in Victoria BC.

She was predeceased by her loving husband of 68 years, Doug Corbett (2018), and by an infant daughter in 1951. Also predeceased by her sister Lillian (1925), brothers Jim and Gordon Rathbone (2009), sisters-in-law Connie and Sandy Rathbone, and sixteen brother and sisters-in-law on the Corbett side of the family.

Jocelyn is mourned and will be forever missed by her devoted children Robert (Jennie), Maureen Rieger (Tim) and Andrew (Denise), seven loving grandchildren; Chris Corbett (Holly Read) of Vernon, Emily (Scott) Sedgman of Kelowna, Lindsay (David) Boyd of Manchester, UK, Erica Rieger (Jason Nyberg) of Kelowna, Jacqueline Rieger of Kelowna, Peter (Heather) Corbett of Vancouver, and Michelle Corbett (Ian Martens) of Winnipeg, and ten adored and adoring great-grandchildren; Hayden and Violet Sedgman, Mark, Piper and Felix Corbett-Read, Oliver Nyberg, and Mirabella, Ariah, Oriana and Marcus Boyd.

She also leaves to mourn; her brother Phil Rathbone, and sisters Yvonne Saunders (Bryce) and Margery Emery (Alan), as well as many nieces and nephews and their families, all who were a much loved part of her life.

Mom left school early and went to work to help contribute to the family. Her early jobs included working in the dietary kitchen at Victoria Jubilee Hospital and working as an elevator operator in the Empress Hotel, where she met numerous celebrities and the cream of Victoria society. We all loved hearing her stories of growing up on the island.

In 1949 her life changed forever when she went on a fishing date with the dashing Doug Corbett. Dad always said they didn’t catch any fish, but he came home with the best catch ever! They married on July 7th 1950 and had 68 happy years together.

Jocelyn’s large and loving family survived the Great Depression thanks to the creativity and resourcefulness of their mother Win, and those lessons followed Mom all her life, as she gardened, canned, preserved food and cooked fabulous meals for her own family. She was an extraordinary baker, and in other circumstances would have loved to compete on a baking show and would probably have won! She inherited her mother’s amazing green thumb and could grow anything and get it to produce food or bloom.

Mom and Dad sold our farm in Victoria in 1967 and moved us to Osoyoos, where they founded Okanagan Travel Trailers. In 1970, we moved once again to Winfield to be closer to the Vanguard factory. Mom worked alongside Dad in their business, but her main focus was always taking care of her family, a job she did superbly!

When we lost Dad in 2018, Mom moved to Sun Pointe Village and lived alone for the first time in her life. She loved her little suite and joined in with the social life there, regularly taking the Sun Pointe bus, planting a little garden, walking with the group in Ben Lee and at the “Y”, and even playing bingo and learning to play tile rummy with her friends!

We cannot thank the staff and residents at Sun Pointe enough for their loving friendship and kind care of Mom. Many thanks also for the excellent care she received from her doctor, Dr. Tara Sebulsky, and for the compassionate staff at KGH emergency and up in 4B. Thank you!!

We were so fortunate that Mom enjoyed exceptional health right up until her hospitalization. We could not have asked for a more loving, supportive and caring mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She never said goodbye without saying “I love you!”. Job well done, Mom, give our love to Dad, we will miss you forever!

A memorial service for Jocelyn will be held in August to allow for the family to attend.