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Junice (June) Marie Park (nee Stephenson)

April 15, 2012

JunePark.clr

After a long battle with C.O.P.D. and Cancer, Mom passed away peacefully in the Quesnel Hospice.

Mom was born in Smeaton, Sask, 10 minutes before her twin sister Janice, to Heber and Leilah Stephenson. She had three younger brothers, Jim (Louise) and Jerry (also twins) and Keith (Jeanette).

She was predeceased by her parents and sister Janice (Terry) Eastman, brother Jerry Stephenson and husband Larry Park.

Mom had five children, Jack Clark, Norman (Lillian) Clark, Janice (Wally) McKinney, Brenda Sieppert and Donald Clark. She had 11 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mom loved people. We always had a houseful of family or friends. We’d sit around drinking coffee, shooting the...well you know. Mom may have only had five children, but she had hundreds whom she considered her kids. She always had an open heart and open mind, judging others was never her thing.

When they were younger Grandpa moved them from Sask. to B.C. They lived in Vancouver for a few years then moved to Penticton. In 1974 Mom and Dad thought a move to Prince George would be the thing to do. We met some amazing people there that became a surrogate family to us. In 1986 Mom came to live with Wally and I. She loved Quesnel, “It’s the people here,” she would always say. Again we became part of a new surrogate family, everybody that knew her called her Ma or Mom. Mom had a sharp wit, always called a spade a spade. She’d give you her honest opinion, she loved a good joke. If you got out of line she’d tell you to “Cut the crap.” She loved to watch softball and baseball. Her favourite team was the Cleveland Indians. She loved bird watching, hummingbirds were her favourite. Spring was her favourite time of year cause it brought back all her favourite flowers...lilacs, daffodils, tulips and crocuses. She loved stuffed animals. She was always curious about what each new day would bring.

Mom passed away peacefully at the age of 76. We have a new angel in heaven and her name is June.

We thank our friends for taking care of us while we took care of mom. Thank you to all the wonderful nurses in the hospital and in the hospice for their compassion and care of mom. Thank you to Captain Jim and his wife Deb for their compassion and caring, also their spiritual guidance. Thank you to Christopher from Claytons for everything, to the ambulance personnel, Dr. Evans and the nurses with the cancer unit, to Palliative care team and home care nursing, especially Jody for working so hard to make mom comfortable and helping us with the tools and equipment to keep mom home as long as we did, to Dr. Morne Smitt and the Fraserview staff and to Lorna Wasmuth of Cherished Moments Home Care Services for taking such wonderful care of mom.

In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to Crooked Leg Ranch.

A service officiated by Captain Jim of the Salvation Army will be held Saturday, April 21 at 3:00 pm at Clayton’s Funeral Home followed by a tea at the Quesnel and District Rec Centre.