Saturday, August 6, 2022
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I have known Jean for over 35 years but before going any farther, I should probably explain what I mean by “knowing Jean”. It means that if I went over to the house when she was down, I would greet her with Hi Jean; to which I would get Orville, glad to see you. How are you? We would chat briefly about Ottawa, the weather, and anything that was hot, current political news. If I sat down for a longer chat, we would inevitably get around to serious politics and then, you got to know the other Jean, the political junkie. So, who was the Jean that politics made “other”?
Jean, properly identified, was (Registered) Nurse Taylor, the heart and soul of the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) of the Ottawa Civic Hospital where for over 30 years, she used her extraordinary nursing knowledge and skills to improve the outcomes for thousands of patients dealing with a wide variety of health crises. This version of Jean was never an item of discussion because firstly, the consummate professional that she was would never risk any possible breach of patient confidentiality, and secondly, I’m not sure that Jean would have considered many of us sufficiently informed about medical matters to engage her in a meaningful discourse. If she happened to mention something, you just listened and nodded, occasionally. This left only the political pundit. She could engage you for hours. It would take no more than her first statement to discover which side of the political centre she occupied; suffice only to say that, for her, the greatest man (politician) who ever lived was one Pierre. E. Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada for fifteen years. Such was her attachment to Ottawa and its politics, that for 30 years, a Sunday morning never passed without a bus trip to visit the Parliament buildings in the nation’s capital.
Away from nursing and politics, what I did get to know about Jean, the person, was not learned through conversation but by observation. What she expressed for her family was beyond passion; it felt more like she idolized them, and every last one was included, with an extra special spot for the “boys”.
Beyond family, Jean was intensely comfortable in her skin, carried herself with a dignity that may even, at times, been mistaken for haughtiness. She never failed to let you know who she was. Jean was warm, cordial, and caring. If she knew of any of your special days or for special seasons, you could count on some tangible acknowledgement of the occasion. If there was even the slightest hint that you were not well, she quickly became Nurse Taylor, and you became her patient. But don’t be fooled by the calm demeanour. If she did not agree with your position on an issue, she did not suffer you quietly; she challenged you, regardless of who you were or where you were, and she never, ever backed down.
The family has lost perhaps its staunchest ambassador in Jean’s passing. She will not soon be forgotten, if ever. and definitely sorely missed.
My Deepest Sympathy to the entire Taylor family.
Orville Marshall
