Caring, determined, loving, funny, direct and kind.  Shauneen was all of those things.  

Family was everything to her. She had obstacles in her way when making her family – but she persevered and loved her children, Erin, Patrick, and Kelly deeply. Grandchildren were the best addition to her life and the greatest joy Coolie had was when she was talking to Avery, Kate, Beth and Emily and visiting Andrew at his tree.  She loved Kelly and Patrick’s spouses, Floyd and Stephanie, very much and spending time together with family was her favorite time.  

Shaun or Shauneen, but never Jean, was born in Halifax and raised in Hamilton. The eldest child of Jean (Fisher) and Ralph (Kilcoyne), she remained connected to and valued her relationships with her siblings, Ron, John and Catherine and her extended family.   Although she wanted to be a physician, Shaun entered nursing school and practiced until the birth of her first born. You would never know her nursing career was short lived. There was not a day that Shaun wasn’t giving medical advice or talking about health issues. She was extremely knowledgeable and gave her husband, Len, a family physician, a run for the money on who knew more about medicine.  She met Leonard Grover when she was in Nursing School, and they married in 1964. Shaun’s love for Len was deep. While they faced their challenges, their connection to one another, their children, and the life they built together sustained them.  

Mom was a born caregiver. Dinners arrived on doorsteps, care packages were frequent, phone calls and visits for people going through hard times often.  Giving care to her family and friends truly mattered to her – she could be obstinate about this – even after suffering her strokes.   Our mom entered a room her full self.  She expressed her true opinions when it might have been easier to say nothing. People sometimes found her direct.  She was. She was also funny and compassionate.  Her heart was always in the right place.  And, when it came to her family, she was the definition of a “momma bear”.  Family and friends alike always felt supported, protected, and loved.  Shaun had a rough go of it recently. But she was slogging through it. She still wanted to be kept up to
date on everyone and everything – including her love of celebrity culture and her beloved sports teams. She managed to keep treats coming to her family and friends and to keep her cottage and home to her standard. And that is no small feat, because Coolie’s (her nickname since childhood) standards were very, very high.  

The loss of her presence and energy is something extremely significant. Shaun was the head of the house, the driver of our family and without her, a light has dimmed. We will miss her so very much. But we know wherever her spirit lies, that she is pouring too much salt on her food, moving people’s food to the basement, providing endless love and care packages, and tidying up the world around her.   

The family requests that those who wish to express their sympathy consider making a donation in Shauneen’s name to the North York Harvest Food Bank.  An event to honor Shaun will take place at a later date.