Tribute

After a courageous battle with ALS, Jennifer Healey passed away peacefully on April 19, 2023, at Lady Minto Hospital with her family by her side.

Jennifer was born to Pamela and Adrian Stone on January 24, 1947, in Victoria, B.C. As children, she and her brother Brian got into lots of mischief together and have always had a close bond. After graduating from Oak Bay High School in Victoria, she studied nursing at UBC. 

Jennifer provided compassionate care as a public health nurse in Haida Gwaii and Revelstoke, B.C. She was a skilled caregiver with an amazing ability to put people at ease. Her positive outlook and infectious laugh brightened the days of those around her. 

Jennifer met Jon Healey in Revelstoke. They married in 1993 and built a wonderful life together. Jon admires and appreciates the courage Jennifer showed during their many outdoor adventures, including canoeing the Coppermine River through the Northwest Territories to the Arctic Ocean.

In 2003, Jon and Jennifer moved to Salt Spring Island where they created a beautiful new home and circle of friends. They enjoyed many happy times in the company of dear friends from the Salt Spring Island Sailing Club. On their sailboat, Khadine, they explored the coast of B.C., traveling to the Great Bear Rainforest and circumnavigating Vancouver Island. 

Family was incredibly important to Jennifer. She was immensely proud of her sons, Dave and John. Jennifer delighted in creating special experiences for her boys, such as ‘Backwards Days’. They passed carefree summers together at an old oceanfront cabin on Hornby Island. The boys would explore, build rafts, fish for their dinner, and have the kind of summers most kids dream of.  Jennifer also took great delight in her grandchildren. She was a fun and thoughtful Nana with a never-ending list of entertaining activities – from building forts, to eating ice cream for dinner, to transforming an old dinghy into a toddler pool. 

Jennifer was an intelligent, creative, curious person with many talents. When not sailing or gardening with Jon, she could be found in the kitchen cooking something delicious, or in the studio knitting, quilting, or weaving a beautiful basket. She was a valued member of the Salt Spring Island Basketry Guild. 

Jennifer felt a deep connection to the natural world and lived in a way that honoured the environment. She advocated for ecological responsibility through activism and her lifestyle. She loved watching hummingbirds, nuthatches, chickadees, and the occasional acrobatic squirrels who joined the birds at the feeders on her deck. 

Jennifer is predeceased by her parents Pamela and Adrian Stone. She is deeply loved and will be greatly missed by her husband Jon, sons Dave (Megan) and John (Renee), stepsons Dave and Norm (Erin), grandchildren Owen, Ella, and Thomas, brother Brian (Susan) and nieces and nephew (Lindsay, Allison, and Matthew), as well as many dear friends.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Jennifer’s name to the Salt Spring Island Conservancy.

A Celebration of Life for Jennifer will be held on June 3, 2023 at 1:30 at Fulford Hall, 2591 Fulford-Ganges Road, Salt Spring Island; everyone welcome. 

Please submit stories and photos of Jennifer to celebrate.jennifer.healey@gmail.com