Rebecca was born at home, the first daughter and the second of four children of Edos and Rose Simard. On Christmas Day, when she was just three days old, her Aunt Lena and Uncle Fred bundled her up into a horse-drawn sleigh and took her to the church to be baptized.
In 1940, Rebecca graduated from the nursing program at St. Joseph's hospital in Chatham, Ont. Despite the strict rules, Rebecca and her fellow students would sometimes sneak out of the dorm at night to go to the movies, or even to smoke, using bobby pins as cigarette holders.
Rebecca met her future husband, Vernon Jubenville, at a baseball game held every Sunday in the summer at her grandfather's farm in Tilbury East, Ont. They married in 1941 and honeymooned in Toronto, then moved to a farm in Dover, west of Chatham. This became Rebecca's home for the next 68 years.
Vern and Rebecca had two children: a son, Terry, and a daughter, Becky Anne. Rebecca left her nursing career to be a full-time mother and homemaker. Later she returned to nursing for six more years.
Rebecca faced tragedy in her life, losing both her son and husband to cancer in 1989. Terry died in February, followed by Vern in December. Her faith in God sustained her during this time. She found the strength to carry on, managing the farm and continuing to take care of the family home.
To her five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, she was known as Mémé and Mémé Beck. All of them grew up close by and had the advantage of not only seeing their Mémé often, but of also enjoying sleepovers at her house.
Rebecca had a keen intellect, completing crossword puzzles every day and usually emerging the victor in Scrabble. She successfully passed her driver's test each year, getting perfect on her most recent one.
In December, 2008, Rebecca celebrated her 90th birthday during a blizzard, yet was surrounded by family and friends. Everyone drove out in the snowstorm to have a family photo taken in celebration of this milestone.
There was never enough that Rebecca could do for you. At her last Thanksgiving with her family, a few weeks before she died, she baked five pies, four kinds of sweets and made her famous Jell-o salad and a traditional meat dressing to accompany the turkey.
Even though Rebecca is gone, she will still be caring for her family with the endless canning she did this summer. Her tomatoes, peppers, chili sauce, relish, peaches, pears and jams will be feeding her family and friends for the next year. It is not surprising that in death, as in life, Rebecca continues to care for those around her. She will be missed beyond measure.
Celeste Lawton is Rebecca's granddaughter.