June 16th, 1925 - May 25th, 2021
Joyce Woolfrey passed away peacefully at Lanark Heights Long Term Care Home on May 25, 2021 at the age of 95. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Jack, her parents, Robert and Violet of Moorefield, her brother, Keith of Vancouver and her sister, Mary McGugan of Mitchell. Joyce will be greatly missed by her daughter, Lois and husband, Ian, their daughter, Jennifer and her fiancé, Temi, their daughter, Lorraine and husband, Richard, and Lorraine and Richard’s children, Carmen and Zara; her son, Bill and wife, Janet, their son, Evan and wife, Kathy, and Evan and Kathy’s daughter, Elinor, their son, Cameron; her son, Paul and wife, Mary, their daughter, Sara and husband, Scott, their daughter, Emma and partner, John, and their son, Jack; as well, Hugh McGugan, husband of Joyce’s late sister, Mary, and many nieces, nephews and extended family in Canada, the USA and Great Britain.
Growing up in Moorefield, Joyce experienced many of the transitions typical of her generation: from a local one room elementary school where a single teacher taught 30 students in all eight grades to a central high school (in Palmerston), from outhouse to indoor plumbing, from steam engines to diesel trains, from wartime to peacetime, from an agrarian economy (her father was a beekeeper) to, after marriage, the growing urban economy of Burlington, from working woman to homemaker. She met Jack in high school in 1942 after Dad’s father, the Reverend Wilfred Woolfrey, moved his family from Newfoundland to become minister of Moorefield United Church.
In 1943 after graduating from Grade 13, Joyce attended Normal School in Stratford along with her close friend, Alma Ross and at 19 began her teaching career at a one room school outside of Acton. She boarded at a farm owned by Lucinda and Frank Freeman who became lifelong friends. Jack joined the army in the summer of 1943 and in 1945 before he left for England to join the war effort, they made a commitment to one another. They were engaged in late 1947 and married July 16, 1949. Joyce’s teaching career which included positions in Acton, Palmerston, Toronto, Blyth and Scarborough lasted until 1952 and the arrival of Joyce and Jack’s first child, Lois.
Joyce and Jack settled into the cares of family life while Jack’s career in teaching took them from Chatham to Wingham and in 1957 to Burlington where they lived and raised their family over the next 26 years. Many of the neighbours on Ghent Street and Clarendon Drive became close friends including the Bovairs, the Kalbfleischs, the Lovegroves, the Martins, the Pinkneys, the Quinneys, the Russells and the Thomsons. Their Burlington community was also enlarged by their involvement in church life, primarily at Wellington Square United where Joyce served with the UCW and every Sunday sang in the choir. When she became an empty nester, Joyce enjoyed visiting shut-ins and delivering them home cooked meals on holidays.
Jack retired in 1982 and he and Joyce decided to begin a new chapter in their lives together. In 1983 they sold the house in Burlington and moved to Prince Edward County where they built a lovely home on the Bay of Quinte. Over the following 9 years, they created many fond memories there with family and friends. In 1992 they moved to a bungalow in Waterloo where they stayed into their eighties. During this time and while in Prince Edward County they enjoyed many trips abroad, quite a number of these shared with Mary and Hugh.
In 2016 Joyce suffered a stroke and she and Jack moved to Lanark Heights. Since then, the staff at Lanark has been dedicated to Joyce’s care as has Angela Shaw, her companion, whose visits brightened her days. For their devotion, the family are grateful.
Joyce’s life was also defined by devotion, her devotion to Jack, her husband and best friend for 69 years, and to their children and grandchildren. She was a skilled sewer and knitter, cook, homemaker and gardener. She and Dad were careful with money but generous to family and friends. Joyce valued hard work, loyalty, and kindness and encouraged these qualities in her children. Her family will miss her, cherishing the memories of her beautiful smile, loving embrace, and delight in having her family visit.
Those wishing to honor Joyce’s memory with a donation should do so to World Vision Canada or to a charity of their choosing.
