JARRETT, Linda Darlene (née Cristofanetti)

November 25, 1947 — August 23, 2020

It is with great sadness we announce the sudden and unexpected passing on August 23, 2020 of our beloved sister, auntie, cousin, great-auntie and friend.  She is survived by her brothers Charles “Chuck” Cristofanetti (Shirl), Robert Cristofanetti (Heather) and David Cristofanetti (Filomena); sister-in-law Elena; nieces Kelly, Elenita, Julie and Debra; nephews Chuck “JR” and Carl; and many great-nieces and -nephews; as well as many cousins and extended family.

Born in Trail, BC on November 25, 1947, Linda lived with her family in Salmo, BC, then Nelson, BC where she attended high school.  Scholastic achievement came easy and she graduated with honours.  Her yen for writing won her awards for her poetry.  She developed a voracious appetite for history and reading, sometimes reading 5 or 6 different books at the same time, but history was her true passion.

She met and married her husband Bob Jarrett in 1968.  They moved to Calgary, AB where they lived, worked and played for many years.  Bob worked for the Calgary Herald.  Linda’s working career was widely varied; from proofreading to working in a bank, a ford dealership, city hall, an elevator company and of course working in ad writing and accounting.  But mostly she enjoyed being able to apply her own ingenuity into her work.  It was always well received.

They joined the “4-wheel Stampeders” where they attended many rallies and camping weekends together.  Linda loved traveling and during her and Bob’s many trips, she was able to visit some of the historical places she had dreamed about.  She enjoyed attending live plays, operas, musicals and outings with special friends.  She also wrote children’s stories for her brothers as well as stories about the family “escapades” and she was our “go to” person for family history as she took a keen interest in researching and tracing our family roots.  Her many other interests included trains of all kinds, birds – especially birds of prey, animals, and playing piano.

She loved their pets too.  She had many funny stories to tell about their dogs, “Patches”, “Happy” and “Joker”, as well as their cat “Hopeless”.

After retirement, they moved to Okotoks, AB and after Bob’s passing in 2013 she moved to Kelowna, BC to be closer to family.

She joined the Seniors Learning in Retirement group where she continued her interest in history (almost being able to teach the courses herself!).  She became very involved with this group and was vice president for a year prior to becoming president in April of this year.  Her passion for SLR never waned nor went unnoticed.  This is also where she took up painting.  Her weekly “paint day” with her niece Kelly brought her great joy… and produced many wonderful paintings which she proudly displayed in her condo.

Family was extremely important to her, and she maintained close relationships with us.  She always looked forward to family gatherings and visits.  Living in Kelowna, it was very special to her to be able to enjoy time with her brother Chuck and families.

She treasured the many friendships she had and liked to share stories and anecdotes with us.  It is also apparent that the friendships she made were reciprocated as well, as we have had many calls and conversations with those she knew.

She will be greeted in the next life by her husband Robert Carl Jarrett, father Silvio Cristofanetti, mother Eunice Cristofanetti (née Quattrin), and brother John Cristofanetti.

Though cut short she had a full life… loving, laughing, sharing and giving.

We love you and miss you.

Because of her interests in knowledge, donations can be made to a charity related to education, the Knowledge Network, Seniors Learning in Retirement, the David Suzuki foundation, or a local scholarship fund.

Family and friends will be invited to a celebration of life at a later date. If you wish to send a condolence, post photos, or share a memory please scroll down the page to the area called “Condolences”.