On August 14, 2014 with his family at his side, Mr. Narendar “Ned” Jaswal passed away after a short stay in Burnaby General Hospital at the age of 85.
He is survived by his children; Susie, Sarita, Bill (Nicole), and Anita; grandchildren Jalees, Rya, and Kira; and his brother Jograj of India.
He was predeceased by his wife Rani in 1989, his parents, and his brother Joginder.
Born on March 13 1929, Ned was raised in the village of Bham, India. He began his teaching career in India prior to his marriage to Rani in 1953. With daughter Susie, they moved to Canada in 1961, where Ned completed his teaching re-cerification at UBC. He took his first and only job in Kamloops, teaching math at NorKam Secondary, until retiring in 1992. He loved his life in Kamloops and was proud to be able to stay there for the remainder of his life.
Ned loved to watch his grandchildren grow and to hear of their accomplishments. He could often be seen at a soccer field cheering from the sidelines. They lovingly called him Baba. He was also a beloved Brother, Uncle, and ‘Grandpa” to many extended family members. He was proud of his extended family and of the respect they showed him as the elder statesman.
Ned was a devoted family man. He supported his community through his many volunteer activities. He loved spicy foods and became an excellent cook. He also enjoyed a few glasses of scotch while at a family gathering, playing cards, or arguing about politics. He was a news and political aficionado and also loved watching sports…hockey, football or any sports on tv…he especially loved to cheer for his favourite team, the Montreal Canadiens.
Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, September 6, 10:30 AM at Kamloops Funeral Home, 285 Fortune Drive.
In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the BC Schizophrenia Society at www.bcss.org
15 Tributes
Mr. Jaswal (he will always be Mr. Jaswal to me) was my grade 11 math teacher. He was a patient teacher, but, unfortunately, I was not a good student.
I also got to know him briefly later in my adult life and found him to be a very thoughtful, caring person with great love and concern for his family.
I’m sorry to hear of his passing.
Hearing Uncle Ned’s distinctive deep voice is one of my earliest memories. Although only three years old at the time, I remember him so clearly. He was such a big presence in our lives in Kamloops and our association continued after my mum’s sister married Aunty Rani’s brother.
Our families were close for many years until we all grew up and became involved in our own busy lives, but I remember him so clearly and fondly. Boy, was I scared of Uncle Ned’s big booming voice, but I was still a child when I realized that he had a twinkle in his eyes and warmth in his heart when he would say, “and how is Ragini doing today?”
He was always interested in talking to the kids and took pride in our accomplishments. He is one of those people that you continue to feel connected to regardless of the passage of time.
I will miss you, Uncle Ned, and you will always be a part of my memories.
To Susie, Sherry, Billy, and Anita, my condolences to all of you.
My sincere condolences on the passing of a great man and teacher, Mr.Jaswal. He was a kind and gentle soul and always stopped to talk to me even 20 years after he taught me. He will be missed…
Lisa (Scerbo) Galloway
Sincere condolences to the family. Ned was a kind man with a warm sense of humour. He cared about his students and I am sure he cared even more about his family. Daniela and I are thinking about you in your time of mourning.
Mr Jaswal was a great teacher, and a huge help to me in High School. He really cared, and had a great sense of humour. He will be missed!
Mr. Jaswal was my grad 11 math teacher and I adored his humour, wit & honesty. At the end of the year “Jumpin’ Jack” quietly said to me, “Linda, I will pass you in grade 11 as long as you promise to not take grade 12!” Thank you for trying Mr. Jaswal. You’ll be happy to know my children are exceptional in math.
May memories hold & sustain your family … Linda
To Ned’s cherished family, I would like to pass on my sincere condolences. He was a wonderful gentle man, and although I didn’t know him well, he will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him, and many others.
I was sorry to hear about Mr.Jaswal. He was a great guy. I saw and talked to him many times after I graduated in 1971. He was very well liked teacher. He had the patience of a saint. He will never be forgotten by any of his students. My heart goes out to his family.
We all loved going to Mr. Jaswal’s class even though many of us didn’t care for math. He always had a bit of a smile on his face while he taught and many of us still remember the tone and tempo of his voice to this day.”One donkey + two donkey…” Condolences on his passing.
Bill, Nicole, Jalees, Rya & Kira
We are so sorry to hear of the loss of your father/grandfather. May your cherished memories bring you peace and comfort during this time of healing. Condolences to you and your family.
Isabella, Rob, Matteo and Elio
To the Jaswal family – especially Bill & Anita,
I was sorry to read of the passing of your Dad, my friend, “Ned”. The memories of my colleague as he “cruised” through the halls of NorKam will not be forgotten. Always a smile and a gentle word with a deep voice.
I regret that I will not be able to attend the Funeral Service in his honour as I will be in Vernon for the 40th birthday of my daughter , Jennifer, to whom he patiently tried to teach Math .
However, my thoughts are with you.
Sincerely,
Wendy Nielsen
Mr Jaswal was a magically talented teacher. Even for those of us who struggled in math his patience and virtue paid off. My thoughts are with him and your family.
The Jaswal’s were one of three families left on our street that had been there since the early 1960s. We played freely in each other’s homes and ate lunch or dinner wherever we happened to be at the time. We were essentially nine children with three sets of parents. Who could ask for more? I will forever remember Mr. Jaswal for his deep voice, his pipe (which I loved) and his laugh. He was a father with presence.
I will miss you telling Sherry it is time to come home from my place. I will miss you puzzling over what it is we could possibly be talking about. I will miss you just not being here. I love you, Mr. Jaswal. Rest in peace. Xo.
Will always love you Mr. Jaswal. Attending your classes
Made us all feel we were learning math. Thanks big guy
I can still hear his voice and I smile when I recall some of my favourite Mr J quotes:
“Hello Suzanne, when did you get in?” (each time I returned for a visit to Kamloops from UBC)
“sum of the roots is negative b over a; product of the roots is c over a” –he methodically chanted it (and I actually used this on my grade 12 math final even though I’m not sure how to use it now)
“theta”… pronounced “tayta” (when we were doing trig– and some of us started to say it with his accent too)
“Colin, you are walking around like you are in Super Value” with emphasis on the “Super Value” (when Colin was wandering around the classroom during math class one day)
“you guys” said with squinted eyes, slow head shake, and a big wince-link grin– (especially after one person in class had drawn doodle pictures in Mr Jaswal’s perfectly compass-drawn circles that he had prepared on the chalk board for the day’s lesson)
I loved (still do actually) math and Mr Jaswal was a big part of that. From the other tributes listed here, it is clear that he leaves decades worth of amazing teaching legacy.
I will remember and respect Mr J always and I am praying for him and his family– especially Anita.
Sorry that I am not able to be there for the funeral service.