One of the challenges when someone dies is having to prepare an obituary. Being a writer and story-teller, I felt compelled to put together one for Janice. It’s too wordy and would never be used in a newspaper. But I feel it’s still a story worth telling.
Janice Eleanor Aicken (nee Campbell) was born January 25th, 1943 in St. Thomas, Ontario. The eldest of four children, her family was raised in a Presbyterian farming community. In her teens, Janice began teaching, a cornerstone of her life’s purpose.
She attended University of Western Ontario, focusing on a Bachelor of Arts, with a teaching certificate. In Toronto, she attended Knox College for a Bachelor of Divinity. (Due to standards at the time, she could not be ordained.) She would earn a Masters of Arts from McGill University in Montreal in 1974, and ordained as a Presbyterian Minister from the Presbyterian College. She would later attend the University of Calgary, earning a Bachelors in Social Work later in 1987.
She met Allen Aicken at Knox College, marrying in Dresden, Ontario in April 1966. They remained in the Toronto area until 1970, relocating to Whitehorse in the Yukon, where Janice worked as a Sunday school teacher. They moved to Montreal in 1972. Janice gave birth to Alexandra on her own birthday in 1976. They stayed until 1978, when they moved to Calgary. In 1982, they welcomed Nicole “Asinkwe” into their family. Janice was a key component of the Presbyterian communities throughout these many years, a prominent member and teaching Sunday School.
In 1986, Janice and Allen divorced. Janice moved to Camrose in 1988 and was a social worker with the Government of Alberta. In 1993, she moved back to Toronto, attending Emmanuel College to complete her move to the United Church. She would do her first ministry work in Fort Erie, Ontario at Central Avenue United. After her practicum in Fort Erie, she moved to Kintore, Ontario to support both Kintore and Brooksdale congregations.
The rural Kintore and Brooksdale communities were much like the one she was raised within, being only 40 kilometers from her birthplace. Janice connected strongly with the congregations and led them through many years of services, support, and significance, marrying dozens and helping them say farewell to their loved ones.
Janice became a grandmother a second time with the birth of Alexandra’s first child, Megan, an event that drew Janice back to live in Calgary. She became a regular presence in her granddaughter’s life, even travelling to Costa Rica twice when Alexandra and her family moved there for a year and a half. Upon their return, Janice was blessed with a third granddaughter, Kate.
A significant presence in Megan and Kate’s early years, Janice regularly spent weekday afternoons playing, reading, and painting. Her patience and experience as a teacher was instrumental in Megan and Kate’s upbringing. She imparted her love of art and books, along with her fervent support for underprivileged and underserved groups.
Her need to help others led Janice to the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, teaching English to new arrivals. She became involved with the Chinese United Church, providing counsel and was a member of their board. And Janice continued her ministerial work with Knox United, participating with weddings, funerals, and sermons.
Janice supported the LGBTQ community, marching in the annual Pride parade. She contributed to many local, national, and international charities.
It seemed the only things that didn’t like her were red-winged blackbirds that would buzz her on her daily jogs, a practice she continued until moving into inner-city Calgary.
Janice passed peacefully just before noon on Tuesday, 28 April at Rockyview General Hospital. She was surrounded by her family: daughters Alexandra and Asinkwe, granddaughters Megan and Kate, and brother Dugald. Also present was sister-in-law Lynn, son-in-law Geoff, and several staff who had cared for her during her month-long stay.
Janice is predeceased by her sister, Mary, and her parents Kenneth and Eleanor Campbell. She is survived by her brother Dugald and wife Lynn, sister Kenella and husband Allen (Johnston), brother-in-law Duayne Lunn, many nieces and nephews, daughters Alexandra and Asinkwe, all their respective families, and her beloved cat, Ceyx.
In lieu of flowers, Janice has asked that those interested may donate to the Calgary Homeless Foundation.
