Jean Tucker

A long-time resident and local historian of Dauphin, A. Jean Tucker (nee Robertson) passed away on December 7, 2025. She was 95 years of age.

Jean was born at Grandview MB and began her education at Morranville School, a one-room facility with students from grades one to nine. She completed high school at Grandview Collegiate in the late 1940’s and went on to graduate from Manitoba Teachers College in Winnipeg. Jean subsequently taught school at Makinak and at Burrows District near Dauphin, both one-room classrooms housing multiple grades, for the grand sum of $1,500 per year!

In 1952, Jean married Robert O. “Bert” Tucker of Dauphin and took up life on the family farm where they raised their three children, a daughter and twin sons. It was a busy household having, at one point, three kids under the age of two.  

Once the children were in school, Jean took up employment as a substitute teacher and later joined the administrative staff of the Dauphin Regional Hospital where she worked for 26 years. Jean also served on several community organizations, including the Spruce Creek Ladies Club, Spruce Creek Credit Union, Dauphin Co-op Board of Directors, and Durston 4-H Club where she was a leader for 17 years teaching amateur photography. She was very proud of the efforts of her students, many of them winning prizes for their pictures at local fairs.

Jean was an avid family and community historian. She was a Founding Member of the Manitoba Genealogical Society and of the Dauphin Branch of MGS. She compiled histories of the various branches of her and her husband’s families going back several generations. Her genealogy hobby took her to the archives of Salt Lake City and as far away as England in search of ancestors. She likened genealogy to an addiction, saying that once you start you just can’t stop. She indexed obituaries, transcribed cemeteries, published articles in several genealogical publications, did research for people engaged in their own family history work, impressing them with the amount of information she could find. This led to many friendships across Canada, the USA and England, and she received several awards for her contributions.

Jean’s passion for community history was a driving force behind the book she published, A Dictionary of Pioneer Families of the Dauphin Valley. The book took nearly a decade to complete and provided a brief genealogy of the original families in the Dauphin area. She paid particular attention to including the names of pioneer women, who were mostly referred to as Mrs. (insert husband’s name). Jean believed that the women’s efforts were important too, and that they should be recognized in their own right.

Besides collecting ancestors, Jean had a significant collection of salt and pepper shakers, numbering at one time nearly 300 pairs. She would put them on display at Dauphin Heritage Days and noted children’s interest in them. So she added teddy bear collecting and doll collecting to her hobbies to create even more displays that would be of interest to children attending these events. 

Jean was predeceased by her husband, Bert, and by her parents Hubert H. and V. Ellen Robertson (nee Crowe).  She will be remembered by her children Diane (Arvid) of Winnipeg, Robert “Bob” (Shelley) of Dauphin, and William “Bill” (Cindy) of Brandon; her brother William J. Robertson (Doreen) of High River AB; her grandchildren Darin, Corey (Lisa), Lyndsey (Cole) and Cortney, great granddaughters Scarlett and Ivy, step-granddaughter Caitlyn and step-great grandson Ryker, as well as numerous friends and extended family members.

Throughout her life, Jean experienced good health and was determined to live to 100. She was fiercely independent and only started to really decline the last few weeks of her life. The family extends its appreciation to the home care workers who helped Jean to live on her own deep into her retirement, and for the care and comfort provided by the staff at the Dauphin hospital during her final days.

Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.  For those who wish, donations may be made in Jean’s memory to Friends of Riverside in Dauphin, to the Manitoba Genealogical Society, or to a charity of one’s choice.

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