Plater, Jane Mary
February 14, 1928 - May 1, 2016
“And even if we are occupied with most important things, if we attain to honour or fall into great misfortune - still let us remember how good it was once here, when we were all together, united by a good and kind feeling which made us, for the time, better perhaps than we are.”
The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky
Jane Plater passed away, peacefully in her sleep, at the Nanaimo Seniors Village. She is predeceased by her loving husband Roy. She is remembered by her brothers, Ray Pasemko and John Pasemko; her sons Ian Thompson (Marilyn), Allan Thompson (Karen), Cam Thompson (Shelly), Chris Plater (Ana) and Greg Plater (Lori). She will be greatly missed by her grandchildren Trista, Scott, Amanda, Jordan, Jessica, Thomas, Taryn, Cole and Alec; and by her great-grandchildren Lauchlan, Hayden, Scarlette, Karis, Lucia,Soraya, Colin, Devyn, Sierra, Emily, and Jace.
Jane was born and raised in Star, Alberta where she grew up in a Ukrainian farm family. After high school she worked as a bank teller and, after her first three sons were born, she obtained a teaching diploma. While teaching home economics at the Enderby High School, she met her husband Roy, who was the principal of the school. They relocated to Nanaimo where they lived for 23 years. While raising five boys (including two sets of twins), Jane acquired a passion for the performing arts. She taught speech and drama category at several music festivals. She was also a very active member of the Nanaimo Theatre Group, initially focusing her talents as a seamstress for the many costumes required for annual musical theatre productions. Her passion ultimately focused on directing and her skills were recognized through directing awards at Provincial Theatre Festivals.
Growing up on a farm in Star did not allow for a strong student like Jane to pursue education beyond high school. Through her husband Roy and the emergence of the fledgling Malaspina College in the 1970s in Nanaimo, Jane was able to pursue her varied academic interests. Ultimately, she received a Bachelor of Find Arts (Theatre) and a Diploma in English as a Second Language from the University of Victoria. During her time at UVic she acquired a proficiency for the Russian language and a fascination with the Russian culture that took her to Russia for a language immersion program. When Roy took early retirement from teaching in 1984, the two of them spent two years teaching in Nigeria with CUSO, an experience that Jane referred to often as the “adventure of a lifetime”. Upon returning to Canada, Jane and Roy relocated to Victoria and then moved up island to Chemainus where they ran the Terrace Gardens bed-and-breakfast for ten years. She resided again in Nanaimo for the last ten year of her life, which gave her the wonderful support and company of her three oldest sons Ian, Allan and Cam and their wives on a ongoing basis.
Jane led a courageous life of purpose, passion and hard work. Her fierce advocacy and insistence upon excellence earned her the respect of all who were privileged enough to have known her. Her love and dedication as a Mother and as a Baba leave lasting memories for the wonderful family that she created.
At Jane’s request, the family will have a private celebration of her life.
The family requests that donations, in lieu of flowers, be made to the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia.