Joan Holmes, 84, passed away peacefully at her home in Victoria, BC on Wednesday November 10, 2021, following a brief battle with cancer. Joan was born in Galt, ON, on March 4, 1937, and was the only child of Reverend Wilfred Norman Charlton and Alice Jane Charlton (Harvey).
Joan will be sadly missed by her long-time loving companion of over 40 years, Don Rea, and his three children Steve (Liz), Greg and Lisa. Joan and Don loved traveling the world and visited Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Spain, Guernsey, and the United Kingdom. Another adventure was driving across Canada and up to Alaska. They loved this country but disliked the Canadian snow and cold temperatures, so they wintered in Florida for 10+ years before they settled in Victoria. She enjoyed playing golf and bridge, teaching Mahjong and participating in Tai Chi. She was well known for her quilling creations.
She loved the ocean and the beach. Her children remember living in Halifax and making two to three trips per week to Grand Lake in her VW Beetle. They’d fight over the front seat or the cubby hole and listened to The Carpenters, Anne Murray, or Roger Whittaker on the 8-track. They looked forward to swimming, building sandcastles and catching guppies while Mom looked forward to the peace and quiet while reading a book in her beach chair.
After moving back to Toronto in 1978, her husband John passed away suddenly the following summer. The family was shattered and at the age of 42, Joan was faced with raising her 4 children between the ages of 10 and 15, going back to work full-time and completing her Early Childhood Education Diploma at Seneca College during the evenings.
Joan was a dedicated teacher throughout her life. She graduated from the Toronto Teacher’s College in 1959 and began her teaching career at Palmerston Public School. She studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and taught piano privately in her home from 1965 to 1980. In 1971, following an eight-year sabbatical to raise her four children, she returned to teach at numerous Nursery Schools and Kindergarten programs in Halifax, Montreal, and Toronto. Her final assignment was teaching Junior Kindergarten at Havergal College in Toronto where she retired in 1991.
Joan was predeceased by her husband, John, in 1979. She was also predeceased by her parents, Wildred and Alice Charlton in 1977 and 1984 respectively.
Joan is survived by her sons, Jay (Linda) and Jordan (Angela); her daughters Jori (Pat) and Jillian (Henry); her grandchildren Jarrett, Jenna and Jackson; Johnathan and Mercedez; Mitchell, Connor and Brady; Niki; and her seven great grandchildren. Lastly, she will be remembered and missed by her special friend Jackie.
Her children were raised by a strong and courageous woman. She was tested on more than one occasion including a serious car accident in her youth, the sudden death of her husband and the first bout of cancer she beat in 1988. She was a fun, loving, thoughtful, kind and supportive daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. She was admired and will be deeply missed by all who knew her and loved her.
Philippians 4: 12-13 says…. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Joan will be cremated at Pacific Coast Cremation in Victoria, BC and buried along side her husband John in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Oak Bay Parks, Recreation & Culture, specifically for the Tree Donation Program at the Oak Bay Native Plant Garden. For more information, call (250) 592-7275 or visit www.recreation.oakbay.ca
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Joan Holmes 2021..
Death notice for the town of: Victoria, Province: Colombie britanique