February has been a Memorial Month in the courageous, sad passage of my dear wife Joan Mavis Rennie (nee McFadden). Also sad, on the same day (February 9, 2022) was the passage of Joan’s younger sister, Sandra Foreshew in North Bay, Ontario. I am presently attempting to write Joan’s obituary at our dining table here in Oliver. The tears are an impediment.

We have been married for nigh onto 49 years. Both of us were raised in Ontario’s Near North, Joan in Ferris, North Bay and Gordon in Sundridge. As a married couple, we left North Bay by train in January 1976 for the west, our destination Edmonton. At minus 30 degrees below freezing, Gordon extended the train ticket to Vancouver. We have lived in B.C. ever since. We established ourselves as school teachers in Fort St. James, a community north west of Prince George. Joan enjoyed her time as a substitute teacher during our time there.

Some 20 years later, we retired and moved to Victoria for 12 years, working in the hotel business as front desk clerks. What a delightful change Victoria was for both of us. We enjoyed the many golf courses of Victoria and Vancouver Island. In 1999, Joan was the winner of the prestigious Cordova Bay Golf Club Women’s Tournament, indeed a triumphant accomplishment. Retiring to the South Okanagan here in Oliver in 2006, Joan has enjoyed her golf, her friends, and the easy winters.

Recently Joan has been overcome with cancer. A wonderful, expressive personality had been a highlight of her character. With Medical Assistance in dying, after 82 years of living, and at her home, she was expressively willing, given her pain and suffering, to say a final Cherrio on February 9, 2022.

It is indeed a time of remembrance. Sadly, Joan lost her brother Barry a year ago and now Sandra is gone. Joan is survived by her five sisters Lois, Ruth, Susan, Lana, Mayda and many nieces and nephews. I am thankful for the companionship over the decades; the challenges of living in three locales here in BC was a wonderful adventure in a province that we came to dearly love. And leading our adaptations was my very personable and capable wife Joan.

Thank you… Joan Mavis Rennie, you will be missed.