MARY JOYCE JONES (WADE)

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MARY JOYCE JONES (nee WADE) On November 5, 2013, Joyce passed away peacefully, in her 91st year, at Riverview Health Centre surrounded by her loving family. Joyce was predeceased by her husband Terry in 2009; her parents Josiah and Elsie; brother James; sisters Grace and Liz; and in-laws Daniel and Annie. Joyce and Terry were married for 63 years and together raised a wonderful family. Joyce will be lovingly remembered by her children Lynda (Phil), Susan (Gord), Debbie (Stan), Danielle (Eddy) and Michael (Renee); grandchildren Lisa (Pierre), Sean (Denise), Grant (Liz), Leigh (Peter), Michael, Evan, Keaton and Pascale; and great-grandchildren Marly, Colby, Daphne, Henry, Lily, Maggie and Gus. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins. Joyce will be sadly missed by all who knew her, especially the Lake of the Woods gang, and her many close friends and relatives across Canada and England. Joyce was born in Thurlby, Lincolnshire, England, on February 22, 1923, and immigrated to Canada shortly thereafter. She and her siblings were raised on a farm in the historic village of Ancaster, ON. Joyce was a hard working and talented young woman who excelled at everything, especially the piano. She was a child prodigy, played by ear, and by age 12 had mastered all the classics and hymns at church. She entertained Second World War troops, even performed at her own wedding reception and was in constant demand at every Gyro party sing-a-long. Joyce graduated with honours, winning the prize for surgical technique, from nursing at Hamilton General Hospital in 1946. During her training she nursed naval officer Terry Jones when he was hospitalized with an emergency appendectomy and the rest is history. They married on December 14, 1946, and immediately moved to Edmonton where their four daughters were born. In 1958 the Jones family was transferred to Vancouver and then to Winnipeg in 1961 where son Michael was born. Joyce and Terry raised their family in River Heights and spent summers at their beloved cottage on Lake of the Woods. They were active members of the Gyro Club where many lifetime friendships were formed. Joyce and Terry were avid sports fans and loved the Bombers, the Blue Jays and watching curling and golf. Music was a huge part of the family dynamic, with Joyce at the piano, Mike on the guitar and Terry on vocals. Joyce returned to nursing in 1975 and enjoyed many years in the profession until she retired to help Terry with their insurance business. They finally eased into retirement, did some travelling (Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.), but their favourite pastime was spending summers at the cottage surrounded by their ever growing family - so many happy memories. Joyce was a beautiful, intelligent, kind and generous woman, a fantastic cook who never needed a recipe - her lemon tarts are legendary, and she prepared all the fish and game that Terry brought home to perfection. She could paint, draw, sew, knit, garden - anything she put her talented hands to. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren will forever cherish the blankets knitted by their "Noni/Nana". The family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all the compassionate and caring staff on 4C at Riverview Health Centre. They're all angels, but our family was especially blessed to have Mila with us at the end of Mom's journey. As per Joyce's wishes, there will be no formal service. A family celebration of our Mom's life will occur at a later date. Cremation has taken place. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Riverview Health Centre or to a charity of your choice. We love you Mom - you will always be in our thoughts. Rest In Peace.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 09, 2013