Jean Beatrice Egge

Jean was born in Edmonton, AB, on August 4, 1932, to Ralph and Gladys McKenzie (née Smith). She had two older sisters, Joan and Dora, and a younger brother, Dave, who were all born on the farm at Bentley, AB. When she was three years old, the family moved to Lumby, BC, where her father built a log cabin that is still in use today.

She attended school in Lumby, where her two youngest brothers, Doug and Mike, were born. She graduated from high school in Vernon, BC, in 1950.

After graduation, she worked for five years in an orphanage in Victoria, BC, supervising 50 children along with two other girls. She later returned to Lumby, where she worked for some time in a bank.

Jean met Thorsten Egge at a church service in Lumby, and they were married in Vernon, BC, on December 17, 1960. They had a daughter, Karen, born in Vernon on April 11, 1962. They later moved to Red Deer, where Thorsten worked in a feedlot, and their second child, David, was born on October 28, 1963.

When the children were small, Thorsten found employment at the Hoffman farm near Wadena. The family eventually returned to his own farm near Nut Mountain, where they resided for several years. After some difficult years of farming, the family moved briefly to Thompson, MB, for employment, before returning to the farm in 1970.

Tragedy struck in 1974 when Karen was killed in a drowning accident during a school outing at the age of 11, bringing great sorrow to the family.

Afterward, they moved to a new farm south of Nut Mountain, where they lived until 1987, when they retired to Kelvington. In 2005, they relocated to Hyas, SK, to be near their grandchildren.

Thorsten passed away in 2015, and Jean moved into a low-income rental unit in Norquay, SK, before settling into the Villa in Kelvington, where she lived until moving into the Norquay Lodge in 2020. She passed away on July 27, 2025, just a week before her 93rd birthday.

Jean loved cooking, gardening, her church, keeping her house and yard neat, and spending time with family and friends.

She is predeceased by her husband, Thorsten; her daughter, Karen; her sister, Joan (Pete) Lynn; her brother, Dave (Lila) McKenzie; and her sister-in-law, Janice McKenzie.

Donations in Jean’s memory can be made to:

Ketchen Lake Bible Camp

PO Box 189

Endeavour, SK S0A 0W0