Dear BICA and Bay of Islands Community and Friends,
It is with deep and heavy hearts that we share the loss of our dear and loyal bay friend, Bobette Jones.
Born in 1944, Bobette Jane Stern Jones died Sunday October 22, 2023 in Cuenca, Ecuador. Ill from this past spring, Bobette’s decline progressed then ended with heart failure. Throughout, Bobette was lovingly cared for by her friend Richard Morris. Richard visited in the Bay of Islands in 2022 and often pre-COVID.
There were constants in Bobette’s life. Bobette decided that if she saved a bit she could do as she wished. And what she wished was to spend summers in the Bay of Islands and winters first in Panama and later, Cuenca. She did not require comfort or convenience. Bobette needed the rest and stimulation she found in the hills and waters of the north, the old cities of the south; provided there was also art, music, and friends.
North or South, Bobette gave energy and friendship to her community, which flowed back and forth. In Ecuador Bobette was a regular contributor to the ex-pat newsletter with reviews of concerts and gallery shows, tips on things to do and finding apartments, and how to get good legal advice. Of course Bobette favored and organized parties, dinners, dancing, trips to the beach, and hikes in the mountains.
In the Bay of Islands Bobette fostered friends by looking out for her neighbours out on the extreme west where the waters open to the Sault. She would turn off her oven to keep an eye on Tom Monger as he worked his way against three-foot waves in a 14 ft. boat to be certain he got home safe, always at the ready to head out to help. Bobette gave back to the Bay and our community over the years by tending to things for BICA, organizing hikes, trips to Manitoulin sites, jaunts into Grace Lake, and taking friends to Stratford. She was an integral part of BICA’s auction each year as well.
Bobette’s was a life of simple courage, physical strength and morale. She stood ready to help friends and others whether on the water, in practising law and in carrying part of the load that keeps communities alive. She chose to live as she wished, where she wished. Her views were rooted in Thomas Paine’s dictum, “The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.” She practised this in a manner that outlives her… while memory of her smile and laugh remain, Bobette’s energy will be at work inspiring us all to making life better, more enjoyable for friends and neighbours.
This coming summer there will be a get together of friends and neighbours to remember and celebrate Bobette. We will let you know.
— Beautifully written by Ted Cowan
Bay Of Islands Community Association