Obituary of Mrs. Jean Hamilton Kennedy Campbell

Jean Hamilton Kennedy Campbell 

March 5, 1930 - February 10, 2021

Cheers to 91 years for this Scarborough Walk of Famer!

Jean wished to acknowledge her close extended family.  She was the daughter of the late John D.T. Kennedy and Maggie Bell Kennedy. Sister of the late Elizabeth “Betty” (Fred) Tapscott and the late Margaret (Al) McNab.  Devoted wife of the late Kenneth H.J. Campbell.  Dear Mom of Kimberlee (John McKinnon), Carolyn (Bob Stevens), Kathryn (Brian Holland) and Colin (Christine Finlayson).  Dear Aunt of Judy and Diane (Adams), Barbara and Mary (Tapscott), and Ted and Jennifer (McNab).  Special Grandma of Kristin, Kaleigh and Kathryn McKinnon, Bronwyn, Kennedy and Martha Stevens, Kelly, Meghan, Heather and Matthew Holland, and Taylor and Robbie Campbell.

A naturally nurturing soul, she kept up with everyone and so many more in the extended Kennedy/Campbell lines - so many of you have already reached out to tell us.  She loved being together with family and friends, and was always down for a theme party, games, singing, dancing, and of course, passing around the Pickle Barrel sandwiches. Everyone was drawn to her warmth and charm.

She was born in Scarborough and lived there almost her entire life, through the Great Depression and World War II. So it’s no surprise that she was passionate about its history.  We are sure she was the last Kennedy to live on Kennedy Road!  All would agree that she was the unofficial Queen of Scarborough.  She knew everyone and everyone knew her - making it tough on the kids trying to get away with any shenanigans!

She was a farm girl, but the outdoor, tractor-driving kind who was willing to get her hands dirty and work hard (less so a kitchen helper), but her work ethic, strength, thrift, early rising, all-hands-on-deck values were far more important than fancy recipes. But she could always be counted on to make a mean batch of cocktail weenies!

She chose the perfect profession for her many skills - nursing.  Her Class of ‘51 Toronto East General Hospital buddies became lifelong friends; flash forward to spending their 83d birthdays in Vegas!  A highlight of her nursing career was being a member of the health team that carried out the first glaucoma survey ever done in Canada.  She worked for the Scarborough Board of Health, including years as the public health nurse at Agincourt Collegiate (ACI) and worked in several hospitals (Guelph General, St. Joseph’s, Lindsay Memorial and of course Scarborough General).  She went above and beyond for her patients, with such compassion and kindness, and was a relentless advocate in the hospital and community/public health sectors.

She met the dashing Ken Campbell and they married at Knox Presbyterian Church in Agincourt where she was baptized.  Ken was a strong partner who shared her community mindedness.  They built their home on her dad’s farm property on Kennedy Road.  They raised four children, welcomed their spouses and 12 grandchildren. Their Cedar Chase cottage in the Kawarthas was always open for business, and there was always room for one more.  When they retired, they treated themselves to some fun in the Florida sun and some more exotic Rotary Club trips. She loved her flowers, singing, playing the piano, sewing and sketching - her collection of drawings depicted her own “special spaces” in Agincourt Village and beyond providing welcome insights into Scarborough’s past on her annual Christmas cards.

Although not a classic athlete, she was always moving and puttering, and she loved her Walk-A-Mall group at Scarborough Town Centre, as well as her walks around the block at home and at the cottage.  She could be found, or rather heard, at sporting events of her children and grandchildren ringing her actual cow/sleigh bell to cheer on the team.  In her prime she loved skating, tennis and canoe rides around Sturgeon Lake.  She never gave up on the Leafs, or her precious “tube” skates.

There was no committee, association, or organization in town that didn’t benefit from her many gifts of time and energy, and often high-level leadership on a volunteer basis, including church, the Scarborough Historical Society, Kinsmen, Agincourt Community Services, Agincourt Rotary, friends running for political office, and schools, to name a few.  She even ran a makeshift food bank out of our basement laundry room while she lobbied for actual office space.  She taught home nursing and ran the blood donor clinics for the Scarborough Red Cross.  She was an educational coordinator and volunteer driver with the Agincourt Cancer Society.  She served as unofficial chauffeur to anyone that needed it, anywhere — church, appointments, work, the grocery store. 

She was very active at both Knox Presbyterian and St. John’s United churches with leadership in Canadian Girls In Training, an elder, member of the board executive and President of the women’s association.  She was an archivist for her (and her mother’s) alma mater Agincourt Collegiate and was instrumental in planning the 60th, 75th and 100th anniversary celebrations.  The ACI Alumni Association emerged from that first event and Jean was the first chair of that committee.  She did much of the research and organization for their Remembrance Day assemblies and was responsible for the commemorative plaques that hang in the foyer recognizing the valour of ACI alumni who served.  Last year was the first year that she couldn’t personally present the Spirit “Bell” (named for her mother) to the grade 12 student that best promotes peace, harmony and a positive school attitude.  When Kennedy Public School was established she made sure the students and staff knew all about the land the school was built on and the Kennedy Clan Scottish roots.  She loved to attend school functions and do readings and presentations. She taught the Grade 3 class how to churn butter. No surprise, there is now the Jean Kennedy Campbell Information Centre named after her.  On her detailed wish list is to have music from both schools included in her service and we so appreciate what the schools have contributed. 

She was asked to be on the board of Centennial College and in 1977 she became the first female chair of the board for Centennial College - in fact, she was the first female chair of any college in Ontario.  While breaking glass ceilings, she broke ground for the Scarborough campus, hard hat and shovel in hand (see farm girl above!). She helped establish Centennial’s School of Health Sciences and officially opened the Progress Campus.

Awards for her volunteer work were never a goal for her, but by golly, clear off the shelves to make room for her Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Scarborough Walk of Fame trophy in 2018, the 2002 YMCA Peace Medallion Award, Paul Harris Fellow from Rotary International, and Ontario’s Leading Women and Leading Girls Building Communities Award.  She was very humble about this type of recognition - and often didn’t tell her family about it until afterwards!

She lived in her own home until she was 87 but when the time came she was happy to move to Shepherd Terrace, then Lodge, a place that she had visited many times to provide joy and companionship to older friends and neighbours over the years.  We thank the wonderful staff for getting her across the finish line.

So please put on a fancy hat and raise a glass (of caffeine-free Diet Coke) to this one-of-a-kind force of nature.  We will end as most of our conversations with her did:

“Have lots of laughs…I am going horizontal.”