Gwen (Kanda) Jakobsen

August 2, 1950 - May 2, 2021
May 5, 2021 7 Condolences Print Obituary Send Flowers

With sadness, the family of Gwen (Kanda) Jakobsen announce her passing on May 2, 2021 at the age of 70, at Edmonton, Alberta.

Predeceased by her mother, Mary Bogi; her father, Peter Kanda and her sister Helen Kanda, Gwen will be remembered with much love by a large multitude of family and friends.

Gwen was born on August 2, 1950. She was the fourth of seven children and grew up in Edmonton, Alberta.

As a child, she loved nothing more than to play outside with her friends and venture out to explore new surroundings.

Gwen was incredibly close with her father, Peter Kanda. She loved all things mechanical. He taught her to drive a car and how to fix it herself. She was often with him, tinkering with the stock car which he raced and also his semi- trailer truck.

Also, she learned to love gardening, as the family went to visit her Grandmother each Sunday at a farm near Breton, Alberta. As an adult, she always grew an enviable garden and did a lot of cooking and canning.

Gwen had a passion for horses. She spent a great deal of her early adult life with her friends at a horse club (Rainbow Valley) in Edmonton. She was an exceptional rider.

Gwen's work trade for a number of years was as a book binder in Edmonton. As well, she lived in Beaumont, Alberta for a number of years where she owned a small confectionery store.

There, she met her love, Tom Jakobsen and they moved to Edmonton. Gwen and Tom were married in 1986. Together, they formed a small business, selling promotional items to businesses. Gwen made custom order silkscreen t-shirts and embroidered crests for many companies. The business kept them very busy.

After Tom passed away in 2015, Gwen kept busy with her friends and family. She also loved reading and enjoyed all types of sports on tv. Her live-in roommate, a cat named Sassy, was extremely spirited and kept her on her toes always.

Gwen had a life well lived, with fun times and hard work, and a good balance between the two. She was a social person, quick to laugh but also with strong convictions and she lived life on her own terms.

Gwen will be dearly missed by all who had the joy of knowing her.

As per her wishes, there will be no memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.

  1. I am deeply sorry to hear of Gwen’s passing. Although we didn’t see each other for many years, I will always have fond memories of our family gatherings.

  2. Sorry to hear about Gwen’s passing. Her dad and my father were brothers and unfortunately due to circumstances there was a loss of contact for so many years. We used to get together many times as young teens at their house in Ritchie and at our Grandmothers in Breton. Its unfortunate that we never made contact later on and its another regret of should have, could have.

  3. I am sorry to hear about your loss Gwen was awesome and so fun, I Had the pleasure of training her And working with her for 5 or 6 years at Safeway she was an amazing friend/co worker I was just thinking of her recently
    And was shocked to hear/ read of her passing ☹️😢😭
    My thoughts and preyrs go out to you and your family 🙏

  4. Oh, I will miss Gwen.
    I will keep a yellow rose in the vase she gave me. It will remind me of her.
    Goodbye my friend!
    Until we meet again..

  5. My dearest friend Gwen, I will miss you so much.

    I met Gwen at my workplace back in 2015, right around the time that she lost Tom. I know it was a tough time for her, so I’m glad I could be there for her. I admire her strength, knowing what she had been through, I must say she was a tough cookie! And very funny and witty! Always joking and laughing. Her fun energy was contagious. Thanks for always keeping me in line! And giving me great advice even though sometimes I didn’t always listen to it. You always knew exactly what to say! I appreciate you in so many ways. And I’ll never forget our friendship.

    Until we meet again.

    My condolences to her family and friends. My prayers go out to you during this time.

  6. Gwen you are the best and will be missed

  7. Gwen, such a nice human, always enjoyed seeing her in the bindery area at Quebecor, World Color.
    Always brightened my day

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