From East to West—Jan Lloyd

From East to West

Jan Lloyd

Jan has always been attached to various animals, but her earliest memory is when it literally happened with their Irish Setter. Living in an older house in the Eastern township in Quebec, at the age of 2 and a half, Jan ventured across the street to play with Rusty, her friend. Her mother did not take this lightly and tied Jan to the veranda with the puppy for a time. It seemed that she was always getting in trouble, especially with her mom, but her dad would just laugh at her antics. At 70 years of age, she tries to stay out of trouble.

Jan grew up with her 2 sisters, sheep, cattle, a saddle horse, rabbits, dogs, and even buffalo. All the animals were named and Jan recalls sitting at the dinner table and her father announcing who they were eating that evening. She also discovered that one of her horses was a racehorse and often took her for quite the ride! Eventually, the family would move out west where there were more open spaces.

Walking to school with her cousins, being involved in all sports and the politics of school were memories Jan has. Their high school basketball team won the Quebec provincial championship through hard work and dedication. They had a strong physical education teacher who inspired and was admired by many of the players. Jan took advantage of being on Student Council and was the editor of the year book. Her all-round education served her well when she went off to university.

Originally, she thought she would become an interior decorator, but her father persuaded her to think about a more flexible and supportive career and so Jan decided on an education degree. She started the year, living in a motel in PEI, but eventually graduated from university and started as a Special Education teacher in Nova Scotia. Teaching 14 juvenile delinquent boys was a challenge but very rewarding. Years later when Jan was speeding down a road in Alberta, she was stopped by an RCMP officer. When he looked in at the driver, he recognized Miss Ross and gave her a stern warning, much like she had given him in the classroom.

Jan eventually came to Alberta with her two children, a girl and a boy. She worked long hours as a single mother and eventually became a vice principal and principal of several schools in the division. That is where she met her husband of almost 25 years now. A friend of theirs told each of them separately that “someone would like to go for coffee with you.” The couple have several grandchildren and love and support them in all their endeavors. They have recently bought a motor home and are enjoying their time cruising around, as they sold their place in Arizona. Life continues to be rewarding and their latest pooch, Olive, keeps them active. Jan’s one wish is there would one day be a cure for Crohn’s disease and that her and her husband can continue to be role models for their kids and grandchildren.