Joyce Mary Denno

Joyce was born in Milton, Nova Scotia on February 22, 1929 to Warren and Myrtle Dexter (the 7th of their 10 children). Throughout her long life her fondest and deepest memories always centered around the family home in Milton, that her father built by hand, and the love and learning she received there.

The first 20 years of her life were formed, as she grew into a kind and loving woman, by the extended family and friends that lived in the towns of Milton and Liverpool, Nova Scotia. Like many of her siblings she became a teacher and taught in a two room schoolhouse in LaHave, Nova Scotia and then in Quebec.

Joyce met her husband (Raymond Henry Denno, died 1996) in St Lambert, Quebec. They were married in a ceremony in her family home in Milton, Nova Scotia.

Joyce and Raymond lived in Montreal and Toronto and raised a family of 6 children: Peter (died 2004), Rodney, Alison (died 1998), David, Jonathan and Philip. Joyce later spent many years working in large hotels in Vancouver, BC and Lake Louise, Alberta (where she rose to the level of Housekeeping Manager). She spent her last 10 working years as Office Manager on the executive floor of West Coast Energy (now Enbridge) in Vancouver.

After retirement Joyce enjoyed reading (she was an avid reader of history and an expert on the life and times of Shackleton) and traveled back to Nova Scotia every summer to visit family and friends. She especially enjoyed her daily walk from the lower to the upper bridge over the Mersey river. She took two 'trips of a lifetime' with her youngest son Philip. The first was to the UK and Scotland and the second to Antarctica (when she was 80). She was thrilled to 'step into the pages of history' and be able to see South Georgia (visiting the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton) and Elephant Island where Shackleton and his men of the Endurance expedition reached land after being stranded on the ice for 18 months.

Joyce is survived by her sister Joan Dexter of Milton, Nova Scotia, sons Rodney, David, Jonathan and Philip as well as her 10 grandchildren (Nathan, Naomi, Stefan, Justin, Kelsey, Julia, Sebastian, Alexandra, Rebecca and Jonny) and 8 great grandchildren.

Joyce was kind, loving and generous and was always able to find the best in people even during her most trying times. Much of this she attributed to her christian beliefs and her belief that she would be reunited, after death, with those she loved the most.

The celebration of her life will be held at 11 AM on Tuesday August 5th at First Memorial Funeral Home, 14835 Fraser Highway in Surrey