Mrs. Joanne Margaret Bogart James

year. Joanne (nee Bogart), beloved wife of Brad. Loving mother of Robert James (Michelle) of Toronto and Kelly James (Richard) at home. Also loved by her grandson Alex.

Dear sister of Terry Bogart (Tony) of Iona Station, Bonnie Milligan (Glen) of Shedden, Bruce Bogart (Lori) of Glencoe, Roy Bogart (Angie) of Southwold and Betty Ann DeVries (Jeff) of St. Thomas.

Joanne will be missed by her many close and dear friends. She was a dedicated employee at the Bank of Montreal (Highgate, Chatham, and Kitchener) where she had worked for more than 20 years.

A Memorial Service will be held at Westmount Funeral Chapel, 1001 Ottawa Street South (At Westmount), Kitchener, 743-8900 on Saturday morning at 11:00. Donations to HopeSpring or the Canadian Cancer Society. Tributes may be made online at www.mem.com.

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Eulogy given by Floyd Bobier, friend of Joanne's for 40 years:

It is an honour and a privilege to speak today as we celebrate the life of a dear friend, Joanne Margaret James.

They say that at the end of a lifetime, if you can count five good friends you are a fortunate person. I know that I am fortunate because I could always count on Joanne as a true friend. Each of us will have our own smiles of remembrance and laughter at memories as we recall the woman known to us as “Jo Jo, Little Jo, JJ, Mama Jo or simply Joanne. We will all remember her lovely smile, her sparkling blue eyes and of course, those long fluttering eyelashes!

Joanne was born 50 years ago, the fifth child of Clarence and Betty Bogart. She grew up on a farm near Lawrence Station, just west of St. Thomas, with her siblings Terry, Bonnie, Bruce, Roy and her baby sister, Betty Ann.

I met Joanne about 40 years ago and I recall that even as a young girl, she made friends quickly and had a fun loving spirit! (As it turned out, Joanne and I developed a friendship that would last a lifetime).

As a teenager, Joanne found the love of her life, Brad James, a scrawny long haired musician.They met while his band was playing at a local dance. A few years later, Brad and Joanne surprised us all with the news that they had eloped! Joanne was a loving wife and soul mate to Brad for almost thirty years.

When asked about her proudest moments, Joanne would say, without hesitation, the birth of her children Rob and Kelly. Joanne was a loving and devoted mother, who defied her own mother’s warnings about cuddling her children too much, giving Robbie and Kelly as many hugs and kisses as they could handle. She claimed her children were angels, never feeling the need to impose too many rules. She guided them through their childhood with unconditional love, adoration and acceptance of their unique personalities.

I remember Joanne’s amazement at Rob’s ability to read the TV guide at age two and her pride as Kelly blossomed from a shy little girl, constantly attached to her mother’s legs, into a confident and outgoing young woman.

After Rob and Michelle were married, Joanne often commented that she just couldn’t wait to be a grandmother. Michelle has told me that Joanne was much more than a mother-in- law, she was a friend. Although Joanne tried to give the young couple their space, there was one exception…….Before the birth of Rob and Michelle’s baby, Joanne apparently kept track of every appointment and the phone would be ringing as they returned home – it was the excited grandmother-to-be, calling for an update. Joanne was overjoyed with the birth of her grandson, Alex, and happily settled into her role as a new grandma.

Over the years, Joanne established a large family of friends. Joanne loved to laugh and had a great sense of humour. She was someone who never wanted to impose on others and always wanted what was best for her family and friends.

Brad has played in several bands throughout the years and Joanne was his devoted groupie. Many lasting friendships were made and there are many “band stories” that come to mind- few of which I can talk about today. However, the good times we had included a lot of laughter, practical jokes and believe it or not, a few cold beverages. I recall a favourite story which involved Joanne, a ditch and a cornfield!

Joanne had a keen interest in baseball and was an avid Jays fan. She always knew what channel “the game” was on and rarely missed one. In her thirties, Joanne joined a ladies slow pitch team. After years of playing ball with her brothers and being teased about “throwing like a girl”, Joanne’s pitching skills helped her team at various tournaments, including the provincial championship. Joanne valued the friendships she made with her teammates.

More recently, Joanne took up golf with Brad as her main instructor. The game came naturally to her and she amazed us with her long drives, especially when she pulled out the club she fondly referred to as her “Big Dog”.

From card games to pool, she always enjoyed the competition and as many would agree, she was a formidable opponent!

Joanne enjoyed sharing good times with family and friends. On many occasions, she was the instigator of some type of mischief. I recall Joanne’s involvement in organizing a “Chinese Firedrill” on a downtown Kitchener street with a van load of Oktoberfest revelers. I should also mention that her daughter Kelly was driving! Many of us will recall several fun filled trips to the Caribbean, most recently this past December.

Joanne can be described as a “go getter”. She always said “I just can’t sit and do nothing, I would rather be busy”. As a teenager, she sewed her own clothes and later made outfits for Rob and Kelly as well. Many were pleased to receive gifts of her hand knitted blankets, sweaters or slippers. Just last fall, Joanne discovered a new talent, when she began dabbling in abstract art under the direction of her friend Marylou, giving her children beautiful paintings which will be lasting keepsakes.

Joanne was proud of the friendships she made with her co-workers in over 20 years of employment at the Bank of Montreal- she worked at branches in Highgate, Chatham and Kitchener.

At her job, Joanne was a patient, kind and caring mentor, coach and supervisor. Joanne’s’ smile was contagious and she had a “knack” when dealing with those “difficult” customers.

An unbalanced ledger was a challenge to Joanne and she often brought work home with her- she prided herself in finding the problem nearly every time!

I recall that Joanne never missed an opportunity to sell Kathy and I on debit cards, lines of credit, phone banking and ultimately internet banking. How could anyone dispute her sound advice??

Throughout the last three years, Joanne’s spirit never dampened and her will to live was evident daily. She never gave up on her battle.

Joanne viewed her life as a half century of fulfillment, joy and success. She was the eternal optimist and always saw the glass as half full. She was grateful for so much… a loving husband, two wonderful children, an adorable grandson, a successful career and so many life long friends.

In closing, may I say …. “What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal." Joanne, you have left us with undying friendships and for that, we thank you.