Mrs. Jean Regina Riggs

It with considerable sadness that we announce the passing of our loving mom and grandmother at Surrey Memorial Hospital on July 17, 2017 at the age of 93.

Jean (Noni) was born on the family farm near Baldwinton, Saskatchewan to Gioachino and Albina Petovello. She was the youngest of 7 children – 3 brothers and 4 sisters. She married the love of her life, Stephen Gordon George Riggs on June 12, 1946. Jean and Gordon settled on the Riggs farm near Cut knife and then in the spring of 1947 moved to Creston and then to Kimberly, BC where Gordon worked in the nickel mine. Their first son Leonard was born in Saskatchewan (1947). Wayne was born a year later in Creston.

In 1952 they would return to Cut knife Saskatchewan to run the family farm. Noni wasn’t thrilled to make the move, because unlike their home in Kimberly, there was no indoor plumbing and no electricity at the farm until 1959. It was a very was a busy life with early starts to their days. While it was a hard life in many ways, there was much happiness in their humble home and many large Petovello and Riggs family dinners. In 1960 Grandpa Riggs sold the family farm. Jean, with her husband Gordon and brother-in-law Orville would purchase a small hotel in the town of Turtleford, Saskatchewan. As always, Jean adapted to the new challenge, now learning to work with the public. Again, the hours were long for her as she cooked meals for both family and hotel guests and cleaned the rooms. There was time though, to have a family cabin at Turtle Lake and spend time in the summers enjoying the lake and catching Jack Fish. An occasional summer trip to Banff and Jasper or to Vancouver/Victoria was always a highlight as well. After Leonard and Wayne completed school in 1966, Gordon and Jean followed their dream of moving back to BC and settled in Chilliwack where Gordon worked for Fraser Vale Farms and Jean for Eatons as a retail clerk. In 1970 they moved to Kamloops, BC. Here Jean would work as a sales clerk for Eatons until it closed and then for Kipps Pharmacy until she retired at the age of 65. The death of her husband Gordon in 1974 was a major loss, but again she adapted and continued on; always looking at the positives in life. In her retirement, she volunteered at the Church and Seniors Centre. She learned to use the computer and send email, worked in her yard and garden and took part in Tai Chi and truly enjoyed this time in her life. She would go camping with Len in his travel trailer each summer – exploring much of BC and Alberta. Jean also enjoyed a couple of trips to Hawaii and a cruise with her sister Rena to Alaska.

Noni loved her grandchildren, Trevor, Jason and Stephen and welcomed them for each visit to her home with dozens of cookies, cabbage rolls and chicken cacciatore. Christmas brought more special treats – various fancy cookies, tarts and squares and her famous marshmallow/rice crispy balls! We all cherished those visits to Kamloops and the camping trips that we would share with her and Len. Following the sudden passing of Len in 2008, she moved to live with Wayne, Sheila, Trevor, Jason and Stephen in their North Delta Home. Leaving behind her social network in Kamloops was another adjustment, but as was her character, she adapted and accepted her new life here and became an integral part of our home and social network. She brought much joy to our home and the wisdom of her years, though she rarely commented on the errors of our ways!. Her love was always unconditional. She was patient and non-judgmental, I don’t really believe she knew how to complain – there is much we can learn from her. We shared many happy times with her. She loved Sophie, the family dog, and often took her for walks. As her health failed she continued her walks using a walker and leaving Sophie at home. Up until this past year she would walk 3-4 kms/day. She loved to read books on her iPad, and she contributed as often as we would allow with meal preparation and laundry folding; she was a treasure to have with us, and a very special part of our lives.

She loved watching her game shows, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Noni was a Canucks fan and followed their games becoming disappointed with them when they were in a slump, but loyal always.

Noni was happy and at peace with us. She truly loved her grandsons – they, like Sheila and me, could learn much from her. Noni, we will miss you always, your love, your smile, your positive attitude, your sense of humor and the way you approached life. Thank you for all you contributed to our home. May you now rest in the peace you so richly deserve.