Our Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother Joyce Henryk passed away on February 27 at the Davidson retirement home. She had celebrated her 98th birthday on January 22nd. Joyce died peacefully in the late afternoon after having lunch a few hours earlier in the retirement home. It could be said that it was a wonderful way to leave this earth.
Mom was born in 1927 to Douglas and Lillian L’Oste Brown. She was an only child, and in her words, a little bit spoiled. She went to school at Farrerdale but she didn’t revel in studying, so she left after completing Grade 10. Her next move would shape the rest of her life. At age 19, she went to work at the general store on 15 highway that was owned by the Christiansen family. Little did she know that a dashing and charming young man lived but one mile down the road. As she would tell it, pretty soon that young man started coming to the store quite often, hoping that a lovely young woman might take a liking to him. One thing led to another and they were soon an item. That young man was Russell Henryk. Joyce and Russell were married on November 12, 1947, in the little Anglican Church in Watrous. They moved to a farm one mile south of the general store where their story began and started making a life they could call their own. Mom said the house they moved into needed more than a little work but hey, when you’re in love, you just pitch in and make it work. And that’s what they did. The spoiled little girl turned into a hardworking, equal partner in everything that she and Russell did, including running the farm. Mom learned to drive a grain truck as well as she could drive a car. Three kids followed by 1953 and soon Mom and Dad were looking for something better. That opportunity came in 1960 when they took over Bill and Annie Patlock’s farm on the highway. They farmed there until 1991 when they retired from active farming and moved to Watrous, where they’d built a new house. They loved their life there and were active with bowling, curling, golfing, coffee row, the Blue Jays – all the good stuff. They traveled and enjoyed their many trips. Retired life was good to them.
One of the best things about Mom and Dad’s relationship was their mutual devotion. They really were each other’s best friend. They loved talking together and did it a lot. While still on the farm, Dad would often go out to the shop after supper to just fiddle around with something. Mom would join him out there to hold a nail or a board, while talking about anything and everything. She relished those times, as did he. She was with the person who meant the most to her.
Dad passed away in 2014 at age 92 and although Mom missed him terribly, she continued to pursue things she loved to do: coffee row in the morning, followed by the soup of the day for lunch. She loved these times in the Peppertree restaurant talking to friends. Cards at the Senior’s Centre was always fun, and make no mistake, she liked to win. When she couldn’t live independently after age 94, she moved into the retirement home in Davidson. She fortunately lived close to her daughter Val and two granddaughters, all of whom visited often. This gave her life meaning right up to the very end.
Mom was predeceased by her dear Russell and son-in-law Reed McJannet. She is survived by her three children and their families – Jay and his wife Kellie, and children Max and Connor; Diane and her husband Daryl Kuntz and daughters Andrea and Tara; and Val and daughters Jordan, her husband Richard and son Miller; Lindsay and her husband Ryan, and daughters Sydney and Colbie; and Meaghan and her husband Derek, and sons Kaleb and Kalder. Our family will miss Joyce dearly but carry many wonderful memories.
Mom will make her final resting place in their cemetery in Watrous. There she will join Russell in the family plot. Conversations to follow. Just like the good times from before.
A service for Joyce will be held at a later date. Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson in care of arrangements.
