Joan Effie Faulkner

I was born in Sydney, NS on September 5th, 1959, to Mary Georgina (Ferguson) MacRae and Allister Wilro MacRae.

I grew up in a neighbourhood where we stayed out playing until the streetlights came on, where everyone knew everyone, and we all felt secure on Braemar Drive. It was a lovely and happy childhood.

I left home as I turned 18 to go to Acadia University in Wolfville, NS – the first person in my family to go to university so there was quiet expectation that I would do well. I like to think that I have done okay with the sacrifices my parents made to get me there. Dad, a brilliant man, was especially thrilled for me – Mom was just worried!

After graduating from Acadia, I went on to do a Masters in Social Work (in social planning and policy) at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. I subsequently had a career that spanned a wide range of interests, first in Toronto, and then in Halifax. These included working in the social housing sector; with Toronto inner city youth; the health sector where I was the first Director of the National Eating Disorder Information Centre and which has gone on to be a most valuable resource across the country; to running the NS Foster Parent Program; to many years involved both on a volunteer and paid basis in the political world, mostly with Geoff Regan; to finally somehow ending my career doing public affairs for the U.S. government. Over the years there was also lots of volunteer work in many areas of interest.

At Acadia, I met the love of my life, Christopher Earl Faulkner. We have been together for 44 years and it is a partnership that has just kept getting stronger. Chris and I got married in 1985, moved back to Halifax in 1989, and in 1991 my career took a back seat (except maybe during a campaign!) when I became a mom.

Emily Rae came along in 1991 and nothing has been the same since. My life has been enriched by the creativity, joy, love, and energy she has brought to our household since the moment she arrived.

In 1994, Jenna Christine joined her sister and made our family complete. Her cheeky sense of humour has kept us laughing and I’ve always admired her fierce love and compassion for others.

Travel has always been a priority for the Faulkners. Chris and I spent six months travelling across Europe in a VW van in the mid ‘80s. As a couple, and as a family, we made many memorable trips to various parts of the world – an important part of the girls’ lives. For almost 20 years I did an annual, fun-filled trip to Boston with girlfriends. In the last few years we took some fantastic trips with our friends Kim and Laurie Power, the highlight of which was an African Safari in 2019. Then this pandemic shut down our subsequent travel plans. We are so grateful that we made travel a priority and we did not wait until retirement.

I’ve always had a good book or two on the go, loved a day at the beach, recently become an avid Raptors and F1 (!) fan, loved bicycling, going to yoga and exercise classes, and kept up with a variety of circles of friends (and it is only now that I realize how wonderful and deep those sometimes infrequent friendships were). This all kept life moving and busy. It was a good life.

While dying far too young is simply awful, we have had the gift of time. A gift many do not get. It has given us the opportunity to reflect and look back on the wonderful life we have built together and boy has it given us an appreciation for the fantastic people we have in our lives! It has given me time to tell Chris, Emily, and Jenna how proud I am of what good people they are and how the world is a better place because they are in it. Chris has been a rock through all of this, and through all of our years together. I know with the love and support of all of you, he and the girls will come through this.

It saddens me to leave my siblings. We were brought up to be close and we have tried to maintain good connections and relationships through the years. I am survived by siblings David MacRae, Halifax; Karen (Jim) Munroe, Sydney; Kim (Brian) Newell, Halifax. I am also survived by nephews and nieces Jason MacRae, Toronto; Garreth MacRae, Vancouver; Kelly Munroe, Sydney; Jamie Munroe, Sydney; Rachel Newell, Halifax. I also leave behind my lovely mother-in-law, Barbara (Harrop) Faulkner, Halifax and sister-in-law Karen (Jim) Pope, Halifax. Besides my parents I am predeceased by my brother Allister (Sylvia) MacRae Jr. and father-in-law Earl Faulkner.

Of course, please donate to a charity of your choice in my memory but if you would like to do one thing, I would ask that you share an intentional appreciation. Go and tell someone what it is you appreciate about them. Outside of my family I had no idea, until the end of my life, how many people appreciated me or said I had a deep influence on them. Please let others know how they are appreciated and the impact they have had on your life. It is a simple gesture.

With love, Joan