Betty Bates Jesshope
Lover of children, believer in social justice, crossword aficionado, friend. Born in Toronto on May 25, 1925; died in Oakville, Ont., on Sept. 24, 2014, due to complications from a bacterial infection, aged 89.
People often remarked that Betty resembled the late journalist and social activist June Callwood, whom she deeply admired. Their personalities were similar, too; Betty believed strongly that everyone should be treated with compassion and that love could conquer all, no matter how difficult the person or the situation.
Her parents, John and Catherine Bates, emigrated from England to Toronto just before her birth in the spring of 1925. Betty was the fifth of seven surviving children, and proudly the first Canadian. Her family lived in close quarters above a bank in Toronto's east end. Although she grew up during the difficult Depression years, she had many happy memories of playing in the schoolyard and tap dancing and singing with her siblings and friends.
Betty was in her early teens when the Second World War began, and would often go dancing at the Palais Royale on Toronto's waterfront. The popular dance hall drew famous big bands, and her oldest sister, Mary, sang with many of them. Betty, too, had a beautiful singing voice and knew the words to all the songs of the era.
As a girl, she dreamed of being a lawyer. But she left school after Grade 11 and worked for a time at Amalgamated Electric. In 1943, at the age of 18, she married Ernie Jesshope, a physical training instructor in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was soon sent overseas, where he remained for the duration of the war, serving as a repatriation officer for Canadian airmen returning from the front.
In time, Betty's family grew with daughters Sandy, Karen and Debbie. Like many of her generation she was a stay-at-home mom until one day, after the girls were all of school age, she found herself deep in conversation with the family dog, Skipper. She quickly decided she needed to get out of the house and broaden her horizons.
She began working as a secretary at the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and several years later joined the North York Board of Education as an elementary school secretary. That brought her into daily contact with children, which she adored. Later she became an executive secretary to one of the board's assistant superintendents, and often acted as an intermediary between principals looking for teachers and young teachers looking for jobs. She helped many teachers land their first job, and many of them continued to seek her guidance and advice over the years until she retired in 1982.
In 2004, Betty developed heart problems and underwent mitral valve replacement. In true spirited fashion, she hopped up on the gurney to the operating room and put her faith in God and her heart surgeon.
In 2005, Ernie passed away and Betty moved to a retirement residence in Oakville, nearer to my home. Her years at the residence brought new friendships and many enjoyable hours of musical entertainment and bingo games. Her quieter moments were devoted to crosswords and reading voraciously.
Betty was extremely proud of her eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Whether they called her Grandma, Nano or GG, they were lucky to have her in their lives. She loved them unconditionally, as she did everyone. It was her greatest gift.
Deb Cushing is Betty's youngest daughter.