Former Falmouth woman pens debut novel

Until the Day We Die illuminates challenges of aging and loved ones with dementia

A former Falmouth artist has penned her debut fictional novel — and it’s garnering solid reviews from across the country.

Jockie Loomer-Kruger, who was born and raised in Falmouth, Hants County, released Until the Day We

Die last fall. It follows the sixmonth journey of an older married couple, Jenny and Rudy, as they navigate life in a nursing home and the ups and downs of having a loved one with dementia.

“The husband has dementia and it chronicles the challenges that they have to face, in particular when he becomes attracted to a new resident in the retirement home,” said Loomer-Kruger.

“The novel takes as many twists and turns as dementia itself,” she said in a phone interview from her home in Truro, N.S.

The story has been resonating with readers, in particular, those who have, or had, a loved one with a cognitive disease, as well as fellow writers.

In one review, Wolfvillebased author Jan L. Coates described the book as “an intimate look into the lives of long-married couple Jenny and Rudy as they navigate the ever-changing, and often tumultuous, waters of dementia.”

Coates noted that the book is filled with “joyful memories and moments of bitter anguish, frustration, and rage” — feelings that are often associated with caring for someone with dementia as well as the person whose cognitive functions are declining as they try to deal with memory loss, language issues, and the

emotions. inability to control their

“Jenny and Rudy’s story will have you laughing, crying, cheering, pondering, and reflecting, straight through to its lovely full-circle ending,” Coates wrote.

Another reviewer, Karen Henderson, an Ontario-based

specialist independent planning for aging and long-term care, indicated she was initially hesitant to read the book after caring for her own father for 14 years. However, she found

written, the story was “simply but with so much heart and selflessness” that she kept turning the pages.

“Until the Day We Die honestly addresses the oftenignored sexual needs of those

remains with dementia, a need that with us until the day we die,” Henderson wrote.

HEAVILY FICTIONALIZED

Loomer-Kruger said the novel began to formulate in her mind while caring for her late husband, who also had dementia.

“Well, I guess probably I could trace a lot of it back to the fact that my husband had dementia and at a certain point he needed to be in a retirement home. I moved in with him and I was able to stay there for two years,” said Loomer-Kruger.

“So, in the process, I saw lots, heard lots, experienced lots, and I ended up looking at all of that and thinking this is a story — and it can be heavily fictionalized, which it is,” she continued.

“So, one morning I decided that the story had been brewing in the back of my head long enough that it was time to write it down. So, I did.”

The story is set in a fictional community in Ontario, but it could be relevant anywhere.

Loomer-Kruger began writing

Until the Day We Die in 2019 while she was still living in Ontario. She put feelers out to seven small publishers across the country and Moose House Publications, based in Granville Ferry, was the one she chose to work with.

“Their mandate is primarily to publish books about rural Nova Scotia, but they also publish books by Nova Scotia authors and that’s where I come in,” she said.

She moved back to Nova Scotia in January 2020 to be closer to family and began putting the finishing touches on the novel.

“I got moved into my own place just in time to get locked down,” said Loomer-Kruger.

“So, it’s been an interesting and sometimes lonely re-entry into the province.”

She worked with her editor in Ontario to complete the book. In 2021, at 85 years old, she became a published novelist.

The 234-page paperback can be purchased through chain book stores, like Chapters, Indigo, and Coles, the publisher’s website or through Loomer-Kruger (who can mail out a personalized copy for $32, which includes shipping costs).

Loomer-Kruger said COVID has prevented her from doing a book launch, but she hopes to hold a reading in Windsor in the coming months, and perhaps at the Falmouth community hall.

She’s also available to engage readers virtually, noting

she can make Zoom appearances for book clubs, for example.

OTHER ARTISTIC ENDEAVOURS

Loomer-Kruger grew up in Falmouth; raised her family in the Bible Hill area in the 1970s, before returning to Falmouth from 1985 to 95, when her husband retired. She then moved to Saskatchewan, then Ontario, before returning to the province.

While in Falmouth, the couple ran a small antiques and collectible shop from their home. In 1991, she began painting and became hooked.

She now has 30-plus years of artwork.

While living in her Falmouth home, she decided to transform a staircase, adorning each stair riser with whimsical scenes depicting Falmouth in 1945. Those paintings are still there.

“There were a number of people who had the house after we left, and it totally surprised me that the stairs were still intact,” said LoomerKruger, noting she’s delighted to know her work is still being preserved and appreciated.

Loomer-Kruger is also the author of Valley Child — A Memoir. This book recounts 32 stories from her childhood, each featuring her own colourful folk art. The original artwork used in the book is on display at the West Hants Historical Society’s museum on King Street in Windsor.

“It’s kind of a funny thing that when I’m painting, I tend not to write much and vice versa. They seem to be two, fairly separate, creative entities,” said Loomer-Kruger.

As for what’s next, she said she has “so many creative ideas floating around” but isn’t committing to anything yet. She would, however, like to complete a children’s book soon.

“Lots of painting, I hope,” she added.

“Sometimes I think another collection of the stories from childhood because I still have a lot of them and I could probably quite easily put together another memory book of Falmouth stories. Age might be a little bit of a factor whether I get these things done, but we’ll see.”