Tibbles (née Lavington), Jean

Jean Ruth Mary Lavington was born July 13, 1947 to Ruth Lavington (Wilkinson, née Rennie) and Dude Lavington. Several community members aided in raising Jean, including Alec and Gertrude Fraser, with whom she stayed for long periods, and the Scott and Cotters families–especially Marguerite Scott and Dorothy Cotters–who cared for her during their winter stays at the Bar HL Ranch. Jean often spent time with her grandparents, including Ruth’s parents, Kathleen and Peter Rennie, and Margaret’s parents, Mrs. Paul and Mr. John Ferguson Paul.

From her early years, Jean wrote poems and letters, sometimes on birch bark, and created homemade cards. A bright student, Jean attended school primarily by correspondence, though she transferred to a brick-and-mortar school in Quesnel for the two years her family resided in town due to the impacts of a cattle illness on ranchers. She returned to Quesnel Secondary School for grade 12, and graduated in 1966 with top honours, a gold medal, two scholarships, and plans to attend the University of British Columbia while living with her grandfather, John Ferguson Paul, in Vancouver. Devoted to supporting her family on the ranch, Jean took a break from school from 1968-1969 to help out. In 1971, Jean earned her bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences, graduating with honours, one point away from head of her class. She completed a thesis, "Analysis of Bull Performance Test Results from British Columbia Beef Cattle Test Station.”

In 1970, Jean married John Tibbles, originally of Quesnel, and moved with him to Clearwater, BC, where they had two children: Michael and Alan. The family lived in Sexsmith, Alberta from 1984-1988 while John attended Peace River Bible Institute. During these years, they also spent summers in Fort St. James, BC, for ministry. After his graduation, they moved to Prince George, and later Hixon, BC, before their return to Quesnel later in life. Jean died in 2023.