Joan Irene (Pearce) Purves

passed away peacefully on January 27, 2019 surrounded by loved ones.
She will be deeply missed by her sons James (Nicola) and Thomas (Kimberley), her beloved grandchildren Melanie, Christopher, Jaime,
Colin, Shannon, Kathleen, Elise, Nathan, Lauren, their spouses and her eleven great-grandchildren, as well as many other family members and friends.
Born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, on August 13, 1931, Joan and her family moved to Toronto where she met and married her sweetheart, Ronald (Abe) Purves, in 1950. Together over their 49 year marriage, they raised their three children; James (Jim), Judith (Judy), and Thomas (Tom), making memories both in the bustling city and at their scenic lakeside cottage.
Joan enjoyed a successful professional career, first at the newly opened Yorkdale Mall and later at the Ministry of Transportation. After retiring, Joan and Abe moved to their dream one hundred acre wooded property in Purdy where they could be close to nature; something they both loved and cherished. It was a peaceful retreat for the whole family, and they loved spending time with their grandchildren and spoiling everyone with delicious dinners and desserts.
Many happy days were spent gardening, swimming, hiking, wildlife spotting, and making maple syrup.
After a move to Barry’s Bay and losing her dear husband, Joan continued to be the centre of the family and warmly welcomed all for a cup of tea and her famous chocolate chip cookies. She was fiercely proud of her family and was always their greatest cheerleader in all that they did and the first to offer support. Her door was always open and her heart full of love.
She was the first one her grandchildren called to share happy news or for a shoulder to cry on.
Joan was everything you would want a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to be. She was beautiful, kind, elegant, gracious, thoughtful, intelligent, caring, and had a sharp sense of humour. Her strength and resilience was admired, and her warmth always a source of comfort. To know her was to love her, and the world is a little less bright now that she is gone. Her spark will live on in us and in everything she taught us.
She will be reunited with her parents Melville and Hazel, her older brothers
William and Gordon, her husband Ronald, and daughter Judy.
Services will be private, as per Joan’s wishes.
Special thank you to the wonderful doctors and nurses at St. Francis Memorial Hospital and staff at Water Tower Lodge. Donations made in Joan’s memory to St. Francis Memorial Hospital are appreciated.