Joycelyn “Joy” Helen Dundas
1936-2021
Joycelyn “Joy” Helen Dundas (nee Adamson),
age 85, of Cambridge, passed away from lung cancer peacefully on
February 12, 2021 surrounded by family in her home.
Joy will be lovingly remembered by her husband and best
friend of 62 years, James “Jim” Albert Dundas and
their children, Michele (H. Gordon), Trevor (Nancy), and Angela
(Kevin) and her sister Margaret B. Beattie (Don) of Woodstock, New
Brunswick. Joy will also be affectionately remembered and deeply
missed by her grandchildren, Alex (Matilda), Amanda (Jesse), Sarah
Joycelyn, Scott, Sean, Seth, Ryan (Natasha), Kristopher (Laura), and
Brandon (Krystal). Joy was also blessed with great-grandchildren,
Jordan, Max, Nigel, Oscar, Kallie, Kiera, and Isabelle. Joy had three
very special extended families – her tightly-bonded eleven
Ryerson ’54 classmates, her family of many wonderful bridge
friends and her dear neighbours, Troy and Jackie Patrick.
She will be fondly remembered by all of them. She was predeceased by
her loving parents J. Marshall Adamson and Eileen M. Adamson formerly
of Streetsville and her beloved uncles and aunts, J. Edward and Violet
Shortreed and Helen Marie and Al Everetts.
Joy was born at home during an incredible snowstorm on
January 21,1936 in Streetsville (Mississauga), Ontario.
Joy’s father, Marshall, was the Reeve (mayor) of
Streetsville from 1952 to 1957 and a lifetime member of the Lions Club
and the Masons. He named two streets in Streetsville after Joy and
Margaret: Joymar Drive and Joycelyn Drive. Growing up, Joy spent time
with her sister, Margaret, riding bikes around Streetsville and
bowling with their mother, Eileen. Joy and Margaret took piano lessons
and they played piano duets and sang in the Peel Music Festival every
year. They also sang in their school choir and acted in the school
plays annually. Joy loved to play cards. She learned card games like
canasta, whist and euchre at a very young age from her uncles when
they came home from the war.
Joy was very bright and graduated high school at age16. She
attended Ryerson Institute of Technology (now Ryerson University) and
graduated with a degree in Home Economics. She went on to
teacher’s college and then she began teaching Home Economics
at the age of 19 at Lyndwood Junior High School where she met James
“Jim” Albert Dundas, her husband of 62
years.
Joy and Jim were fabulous dancers. They spent their early
married years dancing and curling. They went to NYC to dance in
various dance halls and attended many curling bonspiels in Galt. They
also took up square dancing and thoroughly enjoyed the many friends
and dances both in Cambridge and later at Stoney Lake with their
grandchildren.
Joy stopped teaching and spent her time raising Michele,
Trevor, and Angela ensuring that each had plenty of love and
opportunities. In particular, they spent time volunteering
and raising money for Children’s International Summer
Villages which inspires action for a more just and peaceful world. Joy
worked part-time at the Knotty Pine in Preston, Cambridge and really
enjoyed helping people who came to dine and shop. Once Jim retired
from teaching, Joy devoted herself fully to a new hobby, playing
duplicate bridge. Her son, Trevor, had become a duplicate bridge Life
Master in the 80’s and he introduced his mother to the game.
Joy absolutely loved it and that would shape the next three decades of
Joy and Jim’s lives. Recently, Trevor shared with Joy that
he had become a Sapphire Life Master and she was
thrilled.
In 1984, she got her start at a bridge club in Kitchener and
she then played bridge twice daily for decades. Joy enjoyed directing
at the club and tournament level. She met so many wonderful people
that she decided to start a new bridge club in Cambridge. Joy taught
bridge to new and intermediate players at the Cambridge Seniors
Center. By 1992, Joy became a Life Master in duplicate bridge after
accumulating the necessary 25 gold, 25 red, 50 silver, and 200 black
points by winning at local and regional tournaments. Joy and Jim
placed 3rd in the world in the Instant Matchpoint Game played all over
the world simultaneously. Joy would often play at the Canadian Bridge
Championships with her son, Trevor. In 1995, Joy and Trevor won the
Top Flight A Swiss Team Championship. This was a major accomplishment.
In 2018, Joy finally retired from directing bridge after more than 25
years. She had directed over 3,000 games, taught over 1,000 bridge
lessons and directed bridge-themed cruises travelling to dozens of
international destinations. She received a 25-year Cambridge Volunteer
Award and was nominated for Cambridge Volunteer of the
Year.
Joy was loving, generous, supportive and kind. She enjoyed
having a good time. She loved to host her friends for card nights and
she made it a priority to teach her family these various card games.
Her children all have fond memories of Thanksgiving at Stoney Lake and
weekend family game nights where the family played card games all
night long, including the family favorite,
“Ninety-nine”. Joy will also be remembered by her
grandchildren for teaching them “Ninety-nine”,
cribbage, euchre and beginner bridge. Joy loved watching game shows
and her grandchildren would watch right alongside her. A highlight was
their trip to experience one of the last tapings of Bob Barker on the
Price is Right for Jim’s 80th birthday just prior to
Bob’s retirement. Joy supported her children in everything
they did, even when it meant making some kind of sacrifice. As much as
Joy loved to see the world, she was even more excited to hear about
the travels and adventures of her children and grandchildren. She will
be dearly missed.
Due to restrictions, a family service is being held at
Corbett Funeral Home in Cambridge, Ontario on Wednesday February 17th.
Interment will be held at the Streetsville Public Cemetery in
Mississauga where Joy will be laid to rest with her mother and father.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Joy’s memory made be made
to the Cambridge & District Humane Society
(cambridgehumanesociety.org/how-to-help/#donate) to
honour her beloved Emily or to Children’s International
Summer Villages (www.cisvwaterloo.org/fundraising). To sign
Joy’s guest book and leave your memories, please visit
www.legacy.com/search or email
jdundas85@gmail.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Joycelyn Joy Helen Dundas 19362021..
Death notice for the town of: Cambridge, Province: Ontario