Jean Beverly Payne: Scrabble aficionado. Bridge enthusiast. Secretary. Mother. Born Oct. 11, 1920, in Wickham, N.B.; died March 20, 2025, in New Glasgow, N.S., of natural causes; aged 104.
Jean PayneCourtesy of family
Jean was not a typical Canadian woman of her era, if there is one. She lived for more than 104 years, had four names over her lifetime, spent her working life as a secretary and was the principal wage earner for her family.
She was born Violet Catherine Maud Bramble, and due to family breakdown was placed in a New Brunswick orphanage when she was four years old. Echoing the Anne of Green Gables story, she was adopted by a couple in Atlantic Canada who wanted a boy to help out on the farm and general store. When she turned up, and after some correspondence with the orphanage, the Grants of Cape Breton kept her, changing her name to Jean Beverly Grant. Perhaps out of fear of being sent back, Jean cultivated a contagious smile and sunny disposition, which served her well throughout her life in making and keeping countless friends.
Jean’s birth parents had immigrated to Canada from England in the early 1900s. They struggled to make a living in rural New Brunswick until her father enlisted in the First World War. Wounded twice in France, he developed PTSD (shell shock on his military records) and subsequently abandoned his family of six children. Jean’s mother was forced to hand over three of her children to an orphanage, expecting to get them back, but when she returned Jean was gone. It wasn’t until 1979 when Jean was almost 60 that her brother Charles Bramble, with the help of the then premier of New Brunswick, Richard Hatfield, was able to locate her in Nova Scotia.
Jean left Cape Breton, as many young people did, to further her education in Montreal. Her secretarial training led to many engaging positions, first in the Montreal area and years later when she returned to Nova Scotia.
Jean met her first husband, Reg Harris, on the McGill University campus. She was taken with the tall, handsome young man, his armful of books and his intense gaze. They married, moved into the home of his widowed mother and had four children. Soon after their marriage her husband became unable to work, but because her mother-in-law was on hand to raise the children, Jean could continue the career she loved.
A free spirit, Jean eventually left her husband and her caregiving mother-in-law for an artist with no income but willing to take on responsibility for the children. To avoid social disapprobation, she changed her last name to match his and became Jean Payne. She found a secretarial position in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, and moved the family there.
Jean loved to ride off into the countryside on the back of a motorcycle with Reg Payne. He photographed the scenery and she brought the sandwiches. She organized his art shows and wrote the announcements for the local newspaper, all while working in an office where she shone.
Throughout her life, even when faced with hardships and challenges that might break another person’s spirit, Jean maintained a boundless capacity to look on the bright side. A darker aspect of Jean’s enthusiasm was her breathtaking skill at ignoring harsh realities. Her children remember well, now with wry chuckles, the day a bailiff came to their door demanding the return of the television. When asked who had come to call, her answer was lightning fast – it was a nuisance salesman. They’ll never know what charming tactic Jean may have used to allow them to continue to watch their favourite shows.
When Jean was 78, Reg Payne died. Several years later, she met widower Henry Raymakers and yet another adventure began. Henry was nine years younger and, though legally blind, was eager to go places. In their seven years together before he passed away, they travelled widely, Jean providing the eyesight and her usual high energy.
Jean was an avid bridge player until the age of 97 when she moved into long-term care in New Glasgow, N.S. She equally loved crossword puzzles and Scrabble. Always up for a game, she walked the halls of Glen Haven Manor with the Scrabble board balanced on her walker on the lookout for another wordsmith, willing or otherwise.
Those who knew Jean fondly recall her sense of fun, her delight in puns and how her face lit up when a man walked into the room. A good day included a glass of Dubonnet, a treat from Tim Hortons, a trip to the mall and lots of phone conversations. Friends always enjoyed her somewhat risqué expressions. She was fond of saying, “Well, I’m off. Like a new bride’s pants!”
Beverly Harris is Jean’s daughter.
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