Little lighthouse found in B.C. thrift store illuminates N.S. family connections

The search for an office lamp at a thrift store in Maple Ridge, B.C., has resulted in an outpouring of interest online and shed light on family ties thousands of kilometres away.

Julia Ghersini, who works in the film industry, found the $14.99 wooden Nova Scotia lighthouse lamp at Value Village.

She found it charming. When she turned it over to check the price she found an inscription that said "built & painted by John and Sheila Jordan, Brighton N.S." and a phone number in the 902 area code.

"I thought, 'Oh my goodness, look at this,'" Ghersini said.

Fascinated by the find, she bought it. She thought a co-worker from Nova Scotia would enjoy having something in the office to remind him of home.

After some research, she learned John and Sheila Jordan had died. Sheila died in 2015 and John eight years later.

Knowing that East Coast family connections run deep, Ghersini posted photos of the lamp on the "I love Nova Scotia" Facebook group. She went to bed thinking somebody might respond.

"Waking up the next morning, I think at that point I was close to 1,000 likes on the first day," she said.

"And then it just kind of kept growing and growing and growing. The comments that have been posted are just so heartwarming."

To date, the post has just under 7,000 likes, 274 comments and over 500 shares.

The post quickly reached John and Sheila's family in Nova Scotia.

"I took a second and I was like, 'Does that say Uncle Johnny and Auntie Sheila?" said Ocean O'Neill, their great-niece from Bridgetown, N.S., who saw it first on her feed.

O'Neill said the couple are remembered fondly by their family. She vividly remembers her visits to their home near Digby. 

She said the couple crafted lighthouses, birdhouses and replicas of Maud Lewis's home as a retirement hobby.

"Uncle Johnny's wood shop was behind the house and he was colour blind and that's why she painted everything, " O'Neill said.

They would give them to family and friends and sell them as souvenirs to passing tourists. Each one was signed and numbered, she said.

The post helped O'Neill discover a cousin she never knew existed.

Amanda Farnsworth-Thibodeau, a great-niece from Marshalltown, N.S., said John was her godfather. She says she still cherishes a birdhouse he made for her.

Farnsworth-Thibodeau likens the outpouring of memories and family connections to an East Coast kitchen party happening online. 

She believes one of the reasons for the popularity of the post is because "people missed that connection of the simpler things in life, getting gifts from people that are simple but really mean big things."

The little Nova Scotia lighthouse now sits in Ghersini's B.C. office. She said it's nice to know that she's brightened so many people's day by posting about it on Facebook.

"It's the first thing I turn on in the morning ... and the last thing I turn off at night," Ghersini said.

Ghersini plans to visit Nova Scotia soon and says she thinks she has to bring the lighthouse "back to where it came from."