Obituary of Joan Anderson

ANDERSON, Joan C.

April 12, 1935 – Rimbey, Alberta

January 16, 2022 – Calgary, Alberta

Joan C. Anderson of Calgary, AB, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 16, 2022, at the age of 86 years.

Joan was born in Rimbey, AB on April 12, 1935. Her family moved to Calgary from Winfield AB in 1944 where she completed high school at Western Canada High. Joan obtained her teaching certificate in Calgary in the 1950s and taught for 10 years before starting a family.

She married Mark Anderson in 1962. They lived in Calgary, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Whitehorse before returning to Calgary permanently in 1974. Joan was a member of the Anglican Church of Canada for her whole life, most recently joining the family of the Church of the Good Shepherd in 1975 and remaining a member of the congregation until her death. She was a devoted member of the church, volunteering for the altar guild and Church vestry over the years. She also volunteered at the Rockyview Hospital in the Pastoral Care program, visiting patients, and providing comfort to others for numerous years.

Joan had a passion for the arts, enjoyed music, live theatre, and painting. She was an active member of the church’s art studio: creating several beautiful watercolors, pen and ink drawings, handmade cards, and other paper arts. She always looked forward to the Paper Bag Princess retreats at Entheos Retreat Centre.

Joan loved to travel. She enjoyed family trips to Hawaii and went to Las Vegas several times with her husband and close friends. Joan spent several summer vacations at Sorrento Centre with her friends from the Church of the Good Shepherd, taking grandchildren with her many times. Her sisters Carol and Nora joined her there one summer and had a fabulous time. Joan often paired her love of travel and love of family, visiting relatives in Quebec, Ontario, Tennessee, Palm Desert, and Vancouver Island. She reminisced that her most memorable vacation was travelling to Greece and Turkey with daughter Jill, exploring the ruins of Ephesus and the island of Patmos where John the Apostle wrote the book of Revelations.

Joan loved reading and her pet cats. She could always be found with a stack of books and newspapers beside her spot on the couch and a cat on her lap. She enjoyed reading scripture and treasured her daily meditations. Joan also had a spirit of adventure, attending Calgary Flames games, hiking with friends, playing basketball with her grandsons, parasailing, and riding a horse during a fun adventure in Mexico. She valued lifelong learning and continual spiritual growth. Joan was a member of Mensa but was humble about her intelligence. She was full of grace and loved a good games night.

Joan will be most remembered for her kind compassionate heart, love of family, devotion to the church, affection for her pet cats, and her artistic talent.

Joan is survived by son Philip Anderson (Sheri) of Nanoose Bay, BC; daughter Jill Anderson (Shelagh McCracken), of Okotoks AB; daughter Heather Schellenberg of Calgary; six grandchildren: Kelsi Addy (Wade) of Nanaimo, Chase Anderson of Nanoose Bay, Emma Sebastian (Braden) of Kelowna, Stephen and Alex Edmunds of Calgary, Brandon Moore of Calgary; and one great-grandson, Logan Wyatt Addy of Nanaimo.

She is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Terry, and Gail Armitage of Calgary; sister Carol Litwyn of Calgary; sister and brother-in-law Nora and Don Hilton of Fonthill ON; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Joan was predeceased by her husband Mark who died in 1990, her parents Grace and Howard Armitage, niece Tara Hilton, and grand daughters Alisha and Aimee Lewis.

Joan’s wish to have her ashes buried in the memorial garden at the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd will be fulfilled on April 9, 2022. Condolences, memories, and photos can also be shared and viewed here.

Special thanks to the staff and visitors at Father Lacombe and Providence Care Centres where mom spent the last years of her life. Their kindness and shared community meant a lot.

In living memory of Joan Anderson, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Fish Creek, 14441 Bannister Road SE, Calgary, Ab t2x 3j3, Telephone: 403-256-9575.