JOAN VERA MACKENZIE (SMITH)

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JOAN VERA MACKENZIE (nee SMITH) With family by her side, Joan, at the age of 91, passed away peacefully on October 5, 2013 in Concordia Place. Joan was born June 6, 1922 in Raynes Park, England. She was a devoted mother, mentor and friend to her daughters Gerry (Barry) Johnson and Gail Heron. Loving Nanny to Brandy Johnson (Rene Laporte) of Windsor, ON and Sandy (Jonathan) Popiel. She is survived by her sister Doris Fowlie of Raynes Park, England, and many nieces and nephews. Joan was predeceased by her husband William (1970), her parents Susan and Stanley, sister Madge and brother Robert. Joan was a British war bride who came to Canada on the Queen Mary in July 1946. She landed at Pier 21 in Halifax and travelled by train to William's home town of Winnipeg, where they started a new life and raised their family. Joan was hard working and worked numerous jobs to provide for her family. Family and her dogs were the two most important things in her life. She was extremely proud of her family and their accomplishments and always put them first in her life. One of her most memorable trips was taking her granddaughters to England for a month to meet her family. We would like to express heartfelt thanks to the staff at Concordia Place for their care and compassion for the past eight years. They were all incredible. Our heartfelt thanks to Gerry Derksen for a beautiful graveside service and to Holly Fjeldsted of Seasons Funeral Chapel for her caring and compassionate assistance. In lieu of flowers, if friends so desire, donations in memory of Joan may be made to D'Arcy's A.R.C. or Winnipeg Humane Society. At her request, a small family graveside service was held to celebrate her life. MOM (NANNY), we will miss you and you will always be in our HEARTS. In tears we saw you sinking, We watched you fade away, You suffered much in silence, You fought so hard to stay. You faced your task with courage, Your spirit did not bend, But still you kept on fighting, Until the very end. God saw you getting tired, When a cure was not to be, So He put His arms around you, And whispered, "Come to Me". So when we saw you sleeping, So peaceful and free from pain, We could not wish you back, To suffer that again. www.seasonsfunerals.ca

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 12, 2013