February 18, 1941 - August 9, 2022
In loving memory ~
Eveline Jaye Castleden (nee Jarrett) died peacefully on August 9th, 2022 in the loving presence of her family. She is missed immensely by Donald Castleden, her cherished husband of 58 years, and her daughters, Heather and Jennifer. She was a wonderful grandmother to Dylan, Ikhide, Iredia, Ivie, Jordan and Kevin.
Jaye was born in Sudbury on 18 February 1941 to Eveline (Temple) Jarrett and Wilbert Calvin Groome (Duke) Jarrett. She had four brothers who predeceased her: Donald (Kaye) Jarrett, Ronald (Rose Ann) Jarrett, Conrad (Bev) Jarrett and Thomas Jarrett. She is survived by her sisters-in-law, Jean Pardo, Bev Jarrett and Rose Ann Jarrett.
Jaye and Don were married in Sudbury on December 19, 1964. Following a honeymoon in the Laurentians they set out for Moose Lake (Mosakahiken Cree Nation) in Manitoba where Jaye taught Grade 2. These years were formative and life-altering, shaping Jaye's path forward in immeasurable ways. Jaye was a highly accomplished figure skater and in Yellowknife, established the figure skating competition for the first Arctic Winter Games.
Jaye dedicated her time to wide-ranging work and volunteer interests, making a significant impact on the lives and living conditions of others. Jaye started a toy-lending library for children, published a guide for boards overseeing child daycare centres, and was part of a parent-driven collective to create the first French Immersion school in Brandon, MB. In Winnipeg, she co-created a school counsellor training program for rural and northern Indigenous communities, trained women to be licensed daycare providers in their own homes, and wrote an internationally-circulated water quality training manual.
On Vancouver Island, Jaye and two dear friends spearheaded an alliance of citizens who stopped a coal mine from being installed. Jaye continually shaped social and environmental change with gentle yet determined courage. Within the spaces between work, volunteering and family, Jaye found connection and communion with others through her lifelong friendships, the S&S group and her book club.
Jaye and family are grateful for the wonderful care-givers at the Comox Valley Hospice Society and the North Island Hospital.
In lieu of flowers, Jaye's spirit can be honoured through your own acts of radical love, kindness to all, speaking truth to power and never being silent where injustice exists.
In Peace and Love Jaye, Mum and Grandma.