JEAN ALEXANDRA MACDONALD (HEMBROFF)

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JEAN ALEXANDRA MACDONALD (nee HEMBROFF) Peacefully on February 2, 2011, born in Winnipeg April 5, 1908, died at 102 years, nine months. Memorial service at St. Andrew's River Heights United Church, Oak and Kingsway, Saturday, March 5 at 2:00 p.m. Cremation has taken place. Private family interment. Flowers gratefully declined. Mother of Bruce W. J. MacDonald (Christine Depoe). Predeceased by her husband, John David ( Jack ) MacDonald, and her younger brother, Samuel W. Hembroff. Survived by her brother Bruce Hembroff (Irene) of San Francisco, her sister-in-law Eunice Cran Hembroff of Calgary, niece Margaret Jane Hembroff Sholdice of Calgary, niece Donna Hembroff Smith and nephew Douglas Bruce Hembroff, both of San Francisco. Jean attended several schools where her exceptional command of the language and her innate ability to address her class or any other audience, small or large, with ease, vivacity and impact was apparent. Words were her friends and she could use them to convey ideas, emotions and calls to action. She gave readings and recitals of poetry and prose, and was always at centre stage when a play was presented. She was the Valedictorian of her class at Machray School. Her family attended King Memorial United Church in Elmwood where, in 1924, Jean was honoured as the Best All-Round Girl of the Canadian Girls in Training (CGIT) group. Jean was accepted at the MacPhail School of Music and Dramatic Art at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, from which she graduated in 1927, at the age of 20. She returned to Winnipeg intending to teach public speaking, drama and poetry, especially to children but also assisted many adults with public speaking. To establish herself, Jean volunteered to be the story lady at the recently-opened William Avenue public library and quickly became known as a desirable and interesting speaker sought by many clubs and other organizations. Just before Christmas in 1929 Jean took Rose Fileman, a visiting British writer of children's poetry, for an evening walk around downtown Winnipeg. That night Miss Fileman wrote the perennial favourite, Winnipeg at Christmas , which Jean recited many times at events and on broadcasts. Last Christmas CBC Radio replayed an earlier interview with Jean about the winter walk and she recited the poem. Through her life Jean loved to travel. In an era when young women generally did not go gallivanting around the world, by her early 20s Jean had toured Europe twice, visited Cuba and journeyed throughout most of the United States. In 1932, with four other girls, she drove her father's car from Winnipeg to Los Angeles to attend the Olympic Games. Jean loved adventures and she joined the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies and Skyline Hikers. Back in Winnipeg she gave talks and broadcasts about her experiences that caught the attention of the C.P.R.'s promotions manager, who promptly hired her to give presentations and broadcast interviews across Canada and U.S.A. She also caught the attention of a young Jack MacDonald who was in one of her Trail Ride audiences and asked if he could escort her home on the streetcar. She said yes . Jean worked with the C.P.R.'s official photographer to produce hand coloured slides to illustrate her talks. He took some photos of Jean sitting on rocks beside beautiful lakes and she became a cover girl when they appeared on the covers of the Hudson's Bay Beaver magazine and the Government of Canada yearbook. Jean was a much desired adjudicator for drama and poetry festivals which used to be commonplace, from Northwestern Ontario to Alberta, and as far north as Churchill, for several decades. She listened to thousands of speeches, poems and recitations. Jean's knowledge and talents in the fields of public speaking were almost unique in Winnipeg at the time and she was asked to join the faculty of St. Mary's Academy. After years at the Academy, the birth of her son caused her to resign but she returned to the Academy for several periods of part-time teaching. The Academy was always a special place for Jean and she later returned for painting lessons from the Sisters. Her teaching, broadcasting, adjucating, coaching and speaking career spanned more than 50 years. In that time she inspired, helped, motivated and in other ways touched the lives of thousands of people and transformed the lives of some of her pupils who went on to careers in theatre, broadcasting and other roles where the ability to speak vividly, confidently, clearly and compellingly was essential. Her former pupils appeared on the stage at Stratford, Ontario, in New York, London and Toronto, whilst others played in major movies. Several became notable political, business and professional figures. One became a member of The Old Vic, the finest Shakespearean repertory company in the world and shared the stage with Olivier and Gielgud. Jean loved travel and for years she and husband Jack went to just about everywhere one could go to ... from Borneo to Tangier, Montevideo to Stockholm and New Delhi to Tonga. In later years their favourite places to winter were Carefree, Arizona, and Harbour Island in the Bahamas. For decades Jean's beloved book club was one of her great joys. Sharing good literature with good friends is a worthy use of one's time. Another worthy activity Jean indulged in was making cookies, perhaps the best shortbread cookies in the galaxy. She must have made a million over decades and near Christmas it took husband Jack and son Bruce days to deliver platters heaped with cookies and festooned with ribbons, bows and cards. The CGIT was right ... Jean was a Best All-Round Girl . Jean made only one request in respect of her obituary: that it close with the following words of English poet Walter Savage Landor (1775 -1864). I strove with none, for none was worth my strife: Nature I loved, and, next to Nature, Art: I warm'd both hands before the fire of Life; It sinks; and I am ready to depart. THOMSON FUNERAL HOME 669 BROADWAY, WINNIPEG, MB R3C OX4 783-7211 Condolences may be sent to www.thomsonfuneralchapel.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Feb 12, 2011