Jillson Rolland

On July 7, 2024, looking out from Four Winds Island in Pointe au Baril, there was a "to die for" sunset and Jillson Evans Rolland, the original Lady Gaga, "vanished into the celestial stars," Fatherless by age 4, she and her mother, Juanita, became 'orphans in the storm of life' – and so Jillson mastered charm, wit, resilience, and creativity to navigate life's rich journey. Her childhood was turbulent, with 3 more fathers, but from the start Jillson decided that she would forge her own unconventional path. She was expelled from Loretto Abbey in grade 10 for poor attendance, "Instead of going to school, I would buy chocolate eclairs, sneak into the local theatre to watch movies and smoke Black Cat cigarettes." She went on to study at the Ontario College of Art, attend outrageous parties at the AD House, and have a chance meeting on a train to Montreal with John F. Evans of Hamilton. They fell in love and married in 1961, and soon Michael (Susan Edwards), Tony (Lisa Prebianca), and Rosalind (Andrew Heintzman) "appeared". After a "fabulous marriage," they divorced in 1978, and following a few romances, she met the love of her life, Alec Rolland. They wed in 1987 and moved from Toronto to Erin, Ontario. Together, they shared 25 years of fun, frolic, and Florida until Alec "vanished" in 2010. She was a lifelong artist. The world is a little less interesting now that Jill's Bar & Grill is closed. We will miss the lighting of firecrackers at dinner tables and funerals. We will miss the iridescent boas, the permanent flower in her hair, and the giant frog slippers. We will miss, despite very poor pitch, the standing O she received at all our weddings when she sang "Summertime." We will miss her frogs and loons and herons and her rooms full of plants and paintings and light. Jillson had a singular gift of making all of her children's friends feel seen and heard. The first person to make them appreciate eccentricity and that it's ok to be different. She opened their eyes to her unique joie de vivre – a place where imagination, the truth, and the absurd could all mingle. She was a lifelong artist who inspired creativity in all those she met. She was an unusual mother who never really checked in when you were out of sight, but when you were in her orbit you were the centre of the world. There was no guilt, no advice, just a feeling that we were the greatest, despite solid evidence to the contrary, and we believed her. Her grandchildren, Willa, Molly, Finn, Giulian, Theodore, Angus, and Sebastian (and dear Oscar) loved how she would share her outlandish stories and encourage them towards their next "great adventure of life." Who wouldn't want a 'Gaga' who gave presents of stuffed baby alligator ashtrays and 12-year-old scotch for 12-year-olds? She spent the last eight years of her life in Hazelton Nursing Home with her last best friend, Sally Ibarra, who cared for her with incredible love and kindness. We are also grateful to Dr. Baker, Liezyl Hortilano De La Puerta, the Hazelton staff, Dr. Croke, and the Temmy Latner Palliative Care team. Her final years were a master class in equanimity and love. Her positivity was unfailing and felt by all. She was so deeply loved. Enchanté Jilly.