Obituary
With great sadness, the family of the late Joyce Johnson, beloved wife of Reuben Johnson, announce her sudden passing on September 12, 2022, at the age of 94 years.
Joyce was born on November 28, 1927, to Frank and Beatrice (nee Flawn) Smith on the family farm 1.5 miles west of Pelly, SK. She attended Pelly School, graduating with a grade 12 education. She then moved to Regina with her sister, Edna, to take Nursing at the Regina General Hospital. The sisters lived in residence and Edna was a great support to Joyce during the first few months of living away from home. Joyce graduated in 1949, as a Registered Nurse.
In the summer of 1944, Joyce attended Crystal Lake Bible Camp with Fern Anderson and Francis Abrahamson. This is where she met Reuben Johnson of Hyas, SK. Joyce was very shy, so Reuben wrote to her with a letter. That letter was the first of many that Joyce received through high school and college. Reuben was persistent – sometimes she received 3 letters a week! He proposed on March 19, 1949, and they were married in a double wedding ceremony with Joyce’s sister, Renee Smith and Reuben’s cousin, Lawrence Johnson on October 4, 1950.
The newly married couple lived on Reuben’s family farm south of Hyas, where they farmed together. Joyce also worked as a nurse at both the Canora and Norquay Hospitals until she retired at the age of 65. On August 13, 1951, Reuben and Joyce welcomed their first child, David, into the world. In the years that followed they had two more sons, Edward and Brian, but sadly they did not survive past birth.
Reuben and Joyce lived and worked on the farm until November 1998, when they moved to Norquay. Although they missed life on the farm, they appreciated seeing all the great grandkids after school and visiting with neighbours. In February 2021, they moved to the Bentley Retirement Residence in Yorkton.
Joyce loved to work – both at the hospital and on the farm. She frequently reminisced about working with her fellow nurses or chores on the farm like milking cows or stacking hay bales. An avid gardener, Joyce enjoyed the bountiful garden and beautiful flowers she cultivated. She was also skilled at various types of handwork including needle point and hardanger embroidery.
Joyce, or Baba, as she was affectionately called by her family, loved being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Family was the light of her life and she found great joy in caring for and watching her 3 grandsons and 8 great-grandchildren grow. Joyce loved opening her home to family, friends, and neighbours with a warm cup of coffee or her famous Baba buns. She was always happy to visit, assist with medical needs, or lend a helping hand.
Joyce was a passionate and active member of the Covenant Church. She took on leadership roles in Covenant Women Ministry, as Sunday School Superintendent, Deaconess, and nursed at the Covenant Heights Bible Camp. She was always willing to help wherever her gifts were needed. Her love for Jesus was evident in everything she did and in the ways in which she cared for those around her.
Joyce was predeceased by her sons, Edward and Brian; parents, Frank and Beatrice Smith; in-laws, Oscar and Emma Johnson; brothers, Reg (Margaret) Smith and Bob (Diane) Smith; sisters, May (Einar) Anderson, Edna (Bill Linderholm) (Erling Raabel), and Renee (Lawrence); brothers-in-law, Richard Liebrecht and Ivan (Virginia) Johnson and her sister-in-law, Eileen (Murray) Dunlop.
Joyce is survived by her loving husband, Reuben; son, David (Colleen); grandsons, Andy (Jaime), Tim (Melissa), and Dan (Twyla); great-grandchildren: Emma (Job), Salem, Hanan, Micah, Kobe, Summer, Rowyn and Jacob Johnson; sister-in-law, Margaret (Art) Smith; and many more nieces and nephews.
Joyce will be lovingly remembered and dearly missed by her family, church and many, many friends, neighbours and community members.
A Graveside Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, September 19, 2022, from the Hyas Covenant Church Cemetery, south of Hyas, SK. A Celebration of Life Service will follow at 2:00 p.m., Monday, September 19, 2022, from Norquay Covenant Church, Norquay, SK, with Pastors Arden Gustafson and Eric Friesen officiating.
Those wishing to make expressions of sympathy may make donations to the Hyas Covenant Church Cemetery Fund, as tokens of remembrance, in memory of Joyce Johnson.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Joyce Johnson 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Canora, Province: Saskatchewan