Jo Ann passed away peacefully at her home in Victoria, BC with family by her side.
Jo Ann was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Childhood was difficult as her mother passed when Jo Ann was only 5, she had no siblings, and her father was later hospitalized for 2 years due to debilitating early onset arthritis. Her fondest memories were of her beloved Grandma Squires, but Grandma had to move to another province. It was another great loss.
Jo Ann married at 21 and soon had 3 children. Unfortunately, being a stay-at-home wife and mother was not her dream so she found this stage of her life difficult too. She was limited by the opportunities available to women of her generation. Throughout her life, she found solace in art. She was very talented – doing charcoal drawing, photography, painting, and ultimately spent many years as a Fibre Artist where she had displays at shows, won awards and taught classes.
After her divorce, Jo Ann’s life was rejuvenated when she left Winnipeg behind to move to Victoria. It was daunting to move to a new city by herself, but her many walks by the ocean soon convinced her she had made the right decision. In Victoria she joined various guilds and clubs over the years, but her favourite organization was the Victoria Lawn Bowling Club. During her recent illness, her spirits were lifted when the Club made her an Honorary Life Member in recognition of her many volunteer contributions to the organization including coaching and developing their website. There are not many people who learn how to become a webmaster in their late seventies! A lifelong commitment to learning was Jo Ann’s hallmark.
Jo Ann did not want a formal funeral service. Instead, we invite her friends to drop by McCall Gardens on January 17 at 10 am for food & refreshments, to share stories with each other, and to celebrate her art. You may take home one of her art pieces in remembrance if you wish. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider making a donation in her name to a charity of your choice.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
www.mccallgardens.com
13 Responses
I was saddened to hear about Jo Ann’s death. My sympathies to her family and friends. Jo Ann was very kind to me in my first year of bowls. Her many contributions to the club will be missed.
Jo Ann will always be remembered for having been my coach and instructor when I first joined the VLBC, about a dozen years ago. She was a stickler for proper rules and etiquette, both on and off the greens, and I admired her for her direct, sometimes blunt and feisty communication, and her openness in correcting members when we strayed over one line or another. I appreciated her dedication and willingness to step-in and commit to volunteering for a wide variety of roles at the club. She exemplified the meaning of volunteerism at its best. I had not been aware of the depth of of Jo Ann’s creativity and talent until today, when I attended her get-together at McCall’s, which exemplified another special dimension of her that I wish I had known about earlier. I think she would have been most pleased with the lovely, low-key reception that was held in her honor today. I will miss her!
*Competitive but always willing to share her expertise and experience
* A traditionalist- play the game by the rules .
* Her appreciation for the long and varied history of the club.
Those are the things I most enjoyed about Jo Ann.
We were colleagues, competitors and friends
I shall miss her .