Senior Spotlight: Jacquette Jackson

Juana Gramajo, Rural Frontenac Community Services | Sep 06, 2023

For Jacquette “Jackie” Jackson, there truly is no place like home. At 94 years of age, she reflects on her time growing up and living in Plevna. From her birth in the general store owned by her parents, to growing up on the farm, to the house that she built and still resides, Plevna has been Jackie’s home for close to a century. When asked why, the response is simple: “I just like living in the country.”

Growing up on the farm, Jackie learned to embrace the country lifestyle: they had cattle, chickens, pigs, and sheep. “I liked it on the farm but it was hard work.

Cutting the hay, putting it in piles… it wasn’t easy.”  This hard-working attitude would serve her well in the years to come.

When Jackie had three daughters of her own, she returned to her parents’ home on the farm to raise them. While the family helped with chores on the farm, Jackie still had to make a living. She was able to find work at local stores: working at Lemke’s General Store on Saturdays and Kellar’s on Fridays, and later transitioned to working full-time. Living in a small village, she knew the families who owned these businesses and they always supported her and her children.

 “I worked but I didn’t mind it. It was just something I did.” She notes that things have changed over the years. From several general stores to now only one; and fewer young families with children when they were once plentiful.

In her home, Jackie holds over a dozen scrapbooks. Beginning in 1986, she has filled them with news clippings, wedding announcements, obituaries, stamps, and sentimental cards. She collected mementos of her friends, neighbours, and prominent local families.  There are also stories of accomplishments by her family members, as well as people she did not know at all. There are stories of hard-working people, breakthrough scientific research, and notable women.

When asked what she decides is worth scrapbooking, she modestly replies that they were things that caught her interest and to remember some of the important figures in her life. The scrapbooks also serve as a memory-jogging tool, and as we flipped through the pages, she would share stories with me.

She recalls that “back in the day” you had to make your own fun. From swimming at the creek, to fishing for mud cats at night with lanterns, Jackie has very fond memories growing up in Plevna.

“We didn’t have a lot growing up but we had a lot of fun. You had to make your own pleasure.”

She recalls as a child, witnessing her brother cut down a tree for Christmas. Jackie noticed that in fact, he was building a bobsled. When she and her sister asked to use it, he said no, stating that it was for his own use. To their surprise, Jackie and her sister awoke on Christmas morning to find a bobsled sitting under the tree for them.

Without many amenities, residents in Plevna have to be ingenious to live there. Jackie also recalls having to learn by trial and error how to make dresses for her daughters as they were growing.

As Jackie ages, she is appreciative that there are services available to help her remain in her home. Through Rural Frontenac Community services, the home help program enables her to continue living independently. She also attends the Adult Day Program at the Clar-Mill hall on Wednesdays, where the staff plan interactive and social activities. Crokinole is a favourite pastime at the day program, where flying pucks sends the group roaring into laughter (which happens a lot).

Jackie enjoys living in Plevna and has always been fond of nature and taking a stroll through the forest. She enjoys the lake views and the creek that flows through the village. She is humble about her life, often stating that she just “did what [she] had to do.”

Like her scrapbooks, I notice recurring themes in Jackie’s life: working hard, being resourceful, caring deeply for family, looking out for friends and neighbours, and finding joy in the little things. It doesn’t take much to find happiness living in Plevna, and Jackie Jackson figured that out a long time ago.