Obituary of Esther Lucille Jacobson

Esther Lucille Jacobson, also known as Jake, died at East Kootenay Regional Hospital on May 17, 2024. She was in the hospital for a month and the staff came to know her as a strong fighter with an impressive side-eye glance.

 

She was born April 9, 1935 to Miles and Stella Jacobson on their farm near Turtle Lake, Saskatchewan. After leaving home her path took her to Weyburn where she trained and worked as a psychiatric nurse and met her soon to be husband Craig Ulledal. Their children delighted in telling people that’s where they met, leaving out the fact that they both worked at the hospital. Right after their wedding in 1956 they moved to Kitimat where the family lived until 1975. Esther worked for BC Tel as one of the original “number please . . . I’ll connect you now” telephone operators. Her career with the post office began after that, and eventually took the family to Dawson Creek. In 1985 she transferred to Kimberley as the postmaster and retired there in 1993.

 

Esther was a community minded lifelong volunteer and learner. She sat on the board of directors for the Kimberley Chamber of Commerce from 1986 to 1995 and served as president for three years. She was the president of the Kimberley Community Singers, served on the Board of Directors of the Kimberley Golf Club, and she was an active church member. Esther enjoyed spending time with her fellow volunteers at the Kimberley Underground Mining Railway, and had fun with her stint as a train conductor taking visitors on mine tours. After retirement she became a licensed hairdresser. She worked at a local salon, and later as a visiting hairdresser for residents at the Pines Special Care Home.

 

She loved being active and strong, and she was a skilled athlete. Her favourite sports were skiing and golfing. Esther became a certified ski instructor and taught a few of her grandkids how to ski and golf.

 

Esther also enjoyed singing, going to concerts, and listening to music. Her musical taste was eclectic. She grew up in a musical house singing and playing with family and friends. As an adult she sang in church and community choirs, most recently with the Kimberley Community Chorus. Esther had fond memories of singing in operas in the Dawson Creek Symphonette & Choir; one of her favourite roles was Guilietta in Tales of Hoffman.

 

She was a great cook, and holidays and birthday celebrations were always special. She became an excellent seamstress, sewing clothes for herself, her family, and costumes for school and community plays and musicals. Her sewing room was full of ongoing projects for most of her life.

 

An avid reader, books became even more important in her last few years. She often said that she couldn’t imagine how long her days would feel if she wasn’t able to get lost in a good book.

 

Predeceased by her parents and siblings Ken, Verna, and Arnie, Esther will live on through her children Cheryl Ulledal of Edmonton, AB, Myles Ulledal (Sheri Young) of Dawson Creek, BC, and Cameron Ulledal (Zahra) of Regina, SK; her grandchildren Aaron Ulledal (Cassandra Emmett), Brittany Rowe (Clayton Reyse), Jacob Ulledal (Apryl Keith), Jordan Ulledal (Anna Pobablete), Morgan Bosgoed (Pam Witkowski), Jillian Bosgoed, and Oliver Ulledal; her great-grandchildren Deklan, Brooks, Abraham, and Lilly; her sister Linda and brother-in-law Dave Wunderlich of Calgary, AB; nieces, nephews, cousins, and many dear friends.

 

Esther had a great sense of humour, loved having fun and she was fiercely independent, outspoken, competitive, and strong. Cheryl, Myles, and Cameron would like to thank the medical team at the hospital for their excellent and compassionate care of our mom. She asked that we bring her ashes back to Saskatchewan to be buried in a private ceremony near her parents and siblings.

 

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