July 25, 1946 - July 30, 2020
Louise (Loes) Martha Jackson (nee Middelkoop) of Victoria, Canada, passed away on Thursday July 30, 2020 at the age of 74. Loes died peacefully in her home after a brief battle with cancer.
Loes was born in The Hague, Holland, on July 25, 1946 to Martha and Adrian Middelkoop. Loes had an older sister Ineke, an older brother Theo, and a younger brother Frans. Loes excelled in school and university, becoming the first female neurosurgeon in Holland.
In 1973, Loes met Mike Jackson in London, UK. They fought over a parking spot and were married 6 weeks later. They immigrated to Canada in 1974 and had Kathryn in 1977 and Jennifer in 1978.
Loes first studied neurosurgery in Amsterdam, then worked at the Neurological Institute in London in 1973. Loes then became the the first resident in the University of Calgary's Residency Training Program in Neurosurgery at Foothills Hospital in 1974.
She left in 1975 to do research, after which she transferred to Anaesthesiology. She loved anesthesiology and made many friends over the years amongst the doctors and nurses. During her 30-year career she worked in Red Deer, Calgary, Comox, and finally Victoria.
Serious back problems forced her to retire in 2016 but she missed practicing anesthesia for the rest of her life. Louise was described by all of the health care professionals who worked with her as a "highly skilled and caring anesthetist".
Her attention to detail was second to none. She made the difficult cases seem easy. A gifted and human approach to health care was her trademark.
Loes was predeceased by her parents, her sister, her brother Frans, and her husband. She is survived by her children Kathryn (Alvin) Deo and Jennifer Jackson, her grandchildren Quinn, Cole, Darby, Brody, and Autumn, her brother Theo, and her 6 nieces and nephews.
Her lifelong passion was her family. Louise was a loving wife, to her late husband Mike, and a loving mother and devoted grandmother. She was deeply involved with her family and grandchildren, and loved spending time with them. She had many friends around the world, and will be sorely missed by her family and friends. Her interests included playing the violin and table tennis, riding horses, walking her dogs, and traveling by cruise ship.
Due to COVID-19, her funeral will be private though we hope to have a celebration of life in the future.
People wishing to honor Loes can send donations to the BCSPCA at www.support.spca.bc.ca/memorial