Obituary of Janet Norgrove

Born in El Dorado, Saskatchewan as an only child, Janet was a pan-Canadian child. She lived in Ontario, on the Prairies, in Newfoundland and in the North, attending a dozen schools in as many years. After the death of her father when Janet was fifteen. she and her mother (Lucille, d. 2001) moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where Janet finished high school. An intelligent young woman and voracious reader, Janet explored the exciting ideas of late 1960s and early 1970s, cutting her political teeth on the civil rights issues of the day. It cost her a bra or two in protest, but during this time Janet set a trajectory for the life of learning and public service, including being the first woman to run for the PEI NDP (1984, 1986). In 1973 she met PEI native Dana Dickieson in Hamilton, Ontario. He was the love of her life, and together they moved to his family farm in New Glasgow, PEI (m. 1974). Together they had three children, Brenton (1975), Tina (1977), and Riel (1987), and devoted their lives to farming and public service. Janet completed a BBA (UPEI, 1984), and turned to a renewed engagement with the Island’s private sector. There was tragedy, then. On a cold February day in 1990, with Tina and Brenton at each side, she buried her beloved Riel and Dana. After supporting her children through high school, Janet worked as a non-profit CEO in Calgary, and as a StFX program manager in Antigonish. Both in Calgary and Antigonish, Janet created a community of friends and family, welcoming her two grandsons, Nicolas (age 11) and Hunter (15 months), her daughter-in-law Kerry, and her son-in-law Jerry. For many, Janet was the first feminist in their lives, a risk-taker, a committed activist in whatever she chose to do, a great lover of good food and wine. She was fierce in love and debate and friendship, able to carry a great weight of pain through her life. Eventually, it was cancer that brought us all to Janet’s bedside at St. Martha’s hospital in Antigonish. We tilted beer bottles and lifted wine glasses to Janet’s life. And while we were celebrating, she tried to slip out without us noticing. It was her way, after all. There will be a service for the family at a later date. Memorial Donations may be made to St. Martha’s Palliative Care.