Jean (Dale) Goin
Wetaskiwin
1924-1989
Description
Life and Work
Jean Dale was born in Huxley, England on January 14, 1924. As a young girl, Jean had crossed the Atlantic Ocean approximately nine times with one or both of her parents. Icebergs brought an element of danger to early crossings. As a young girl, Jean, along with the other women and children on board, was placed in a lifeboat and swung over the side of the ship. The lifeboats would be cut free if necessary and dropped into the dark icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. The terrifying experience for the young girl was intensified because Jean and her mother were not put in the same boat.
Jean’s father had ensured that his wife and daughter were on the last non-military sailing to Canada before WWII began. Jean lived in Ontario and by 1943 was working for the Cockshutt Co. in Brantford. She returned home to England at the end of the war.
James Goin was a young Canadian Airforce pilot from Millet, Alberta. He was a flight instructor in Canada during the early part of WWII and joined the forces in England prior to 1945. The young couple met in Chester, England. According to Goin family legend, the young Canadian soldier spotted the English girl, stood on his head and introduced himself with, “I am James Weston Goin from Millet, Alberta, Canada and I am going to marry you.” James and Jean returned to Canada and were married in Brantford, Ontario on July 20, 1946.
Following their marriage, the young couple lived in Ontario during the school year while James attended Veterinary College. In the summer, they stayed with the Goin family on their farm in Millet. Daughter Jennifer was born in Edmonton and her sister Helene in Guelph, Ontario. It was during that time that Jean’s parents, Ken and Lena Dale joined their daughter in Canada. James and Jean lived for a brief time in Cardston, Alberta with their two daughters and in 1950 the family relocated to Wetaskiwin, where James eventually set up his own veterinary practise. The young couple lived on Main Street in Wetaskiwin until they purchased property west of town.
In 1959, the Goins and their children moved to Kansas City, and Jean’s parents looked after their place until their return to Wetaskiwin in 1961. Lena Dale passed away in 1959 and her husband moved back to England where he lived until 1975. Jean’s family had grown to four children with the birth of Jeff in 1950 and James in 1953. The Goin family lived on their acreage west of town and Jean became an active member of the IODE.
James began practising in Thorsby and the family moved there in 1962. Jean was very involved in the community as a council member. In addition, she managed James’ veterinary practise and served as president of the Canadian Veterinary Wives Association. In 1967, the couple moved to Red Deer, where Jean was a dedicated instructor with the Alberta Society of Life Skills at Red Deer College. She received the Madeleine Dunkley Award for her services as a life skills coach, as well as a recognition certificate from the City of Red Deer for her work as a member of the Red Deer and District Social Service Board.
Jean valued education and social responsibility and was an active member of the community wherever she lived. In 1983, James and Jean retired to a property near Battle Lake, where they lived until Jean’s unfortunate battle with Parkinson’s forced her to move into the Wetaskiwin Hospital. Jean passed away November 19, 1989 at the age of sixty-five. Her husband, James, passed away on February 13, 2000.
Compiled in 2003.
Sources
Compiled by: Gabrielle Kristjanson and Marilyn Hawkins
Sources: Jeff Goin, Jennifer Dale Goin, Jacquie Sturko, Nancy Goin, Cathy Wing
Associated Member Museum: Wetaskiwin and District Heritage Museum