September 9, 1930 - July 23, 2022
In loving memory of
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Joan's passing on Saturday, July 23, in Nanaimo, BC. Joan is survived by her four daughters, Barbara, Jackie, Debbie and Gillian, three stepchildren, Amanda, Gillian & Geoff, along with their partners, 15 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Joan is pre-deceased by her husband Michael Recknell in Vernon, BC and her brother Donald Hicks in London, UK.
Joan was born in Manchester, England on September 9, 1930. At 19 years of age she moved with her parents to Auckland New Zealand. She married in 1950 and in 1956 moved to Canada with her then husband and first 2 girls. Two more girls were born, the family settled into their newly built house in North Vancouver and Joan's career as a homemaker was in full swing.
Joan was a diligent mother of her 4 girls. She was also involved with the Girl Guide Association for many years, overseeing many camping trips to the Sunshine Coast. She was an incredible baker, often making birthday cakes as a small side business. Joan was an avid proponent for preserving natural spaces.
Joan and her new husband Michael moved from the coast to Enderby where they tried farming in the mid '70's. They eventually gave it up and opened Abbey Computers in Vernon which they operated for 25 years.
Joan spent much of her spare time with Michael, hiking and skiing every mountain range they could discover. In later years they moved to Coldstream and Joan quickly made many new friends through hiking as well as her aerobics classes.
Joan's love of the outdoors was surpassed only by her love of gathering her friends and family at her table and indulging them in wonderfully prepared meals, often having grown much of the meal in her beautiful garden.
Upon Michael's passing in 2020 Joan moved to Nanaimo to be closer to 2 of her daughters and began living at Eden Gardens. The family would like to thank all the wonderful, compassionate care givers and staff at Eden Gardens who made Joan's final years as comfortable as possible.
A Celebration of Life will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Eden Gardens ( www.edengardens.ca) or take a stroll in the hills and think of Joan.