Joan Florence Veilands

Joan Florence Veilands (née Clarke) was born on July 12, 1932, in Montréal, Québec. She was the first-born daughter of Victor Clarke, a sea captain, and Edith Clarke, a nurse, both originally from Newfoundland. Joan grew up with her sister Shirley and Ronald in Montreal for a few years, then the family moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where Joan finished her high school years with flying colours. She then went to Dalhousie University to earn her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education, followed by a few years of teaching in and around Halifax.

In the mid-1950's, Joan moved to Toronto to continue her teaching career, beginning at Westwood Junior High in the former East York Board of Education, where she made several lifelong friends. She likewise made more lifelong friends while staying at a rooming house run by Mrs.Griffin. She continued her teaching career, focusing on teaching French, and gradually transitioned to being a Coordinator and Program Leader for French at the East York Board offices during the 1960's, helping to start several French instruction programs from scratch with fellow teachers and staff. This innovative and productive phase continued through the rest of her career as Joan spearheaded and implemented many other French language initiatives within the school board, such as French Immersion programs, Student Exchange programs, and French public speaking contests among others.

In the mid-1960's, she also met John Veilands, whom she married on July 22nd, 1967, in Toronto, and was instantly a part of his proud Latvian family and culture, even taking private classes on her own time to learn the Latvian language. On May 9th, 1973, both welcomed their son Ronald John Veilands into the world, who would go on to take part in the French Immersion program that Joan implemented in East York, and eventually became a French teacher himself. He currently teaches Core French at Norman Cook Public School in Scarborough, and is married to a fellow teacher Gillian. They have two teenaged children, Luke and Sabrina, whom Joan loved dearly, and they loved back just as dearly. She and John were likewise warmly welcomed in Gillian's family, and were always included in their many family gatherings over the years.

Joan ended her career in education in June of 1993, soonafter her husband John had retired in late 1992. She continued to have continued regular involvement in Student Exchange programs and French public speaking contests for many years afterward, as well as keeping contact with so many of her former teachers and fellow staff. She was also a devoted daughter to her aging mother Edith, who had moved to a retirement residence in Scarborough once her husband Victor passed away in 1990. Joan visited her and called her almost everyday until her mom passed away in 2001.

Although her commitment to French education was a lifelong endeavour, in her retirement, Joan was better able to indulge her interests in French theatre, ballet, Flamenco dancing, and simply having lunches and get-togethers with her many friends. As she was with her own mother in her old age, Joan was an endlessly devoted wife to her husband John, right up until he passed away in April 2016. As some of the effects of old age finally started to catch up with Joan herself around that time, she moved to Cedarbrook Lodge retirement residence in Scarborough, where she was cared for until the end of her life, and also enjoyed regular visits, calls, cards and letter from her family and many friends.