Joyce Emiko Soga

Joyce Soga, passed away peacefully, with a full heart and family at her side, on Friday, March 1, 2024 at Vancouver General Hospital. Joyce faced and bravely fought many health challenges over the past twenty years. Four years ago she was diagnosed with liver cancer and more recently with bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) within the pancreas. Her last words were “Don’t be sad” and “I’m tired”.

Joyce was born on July 16, 1963 in Vancouver, BC, a middle child of three, to parents Tom Soga, also born in Vancouver and Hiroko Murakami, born in Matsuyama, Japan. Joyce went to school and lived all of her life in the lower mainland.

Joyce (aka Angel Face) led a fulfilling, purposeful and simple life. She had a beautiful smile and loved to laugh. If there was a suspicious twinkle in her eye, she may have been up to some mischief. She was a thoughtful person, very funny (deliberate or not) and fiercely loyal and protective of those in her inner circle of trusted friends and family. She looked forward to outings with her niece Maddy, Saturday phone calls with longtime best friend Terri, birthday dinners with her gal pals Joyce M., Susie and Jenny, visits with the Freeman family and fam jams with Leah and her puppy Mila.

The biggest love of Joyce’s life was Teddy, a sweet mild-mannered long-haired chihuahua who has been waiting for her at the Rainbow Bridge for the past two and a half years. She was happily looking forward to reuniting with Teddy, her other fur babies (Bailey, Ziggy and Chibi) and beloved brother-in-law Rick Freeman. When the family left the hospital after Joyce’s passing, large snowflakes filled the sky. That quickly turned to rain and then sunshine, at which time a beautiful, colourful rainbow appeared as her sign to us that all was well.

In her younger years, Joyce played softball, snow-skied and fished. There were many memorable family ski trips to Apex Mountain and Big White, as well as fishing vacations in Campbell River, Pender Harbour, Kamloops and the Cariboo Region. A trophy from the annual Soga Freeman family fishing derby at Hi Hium Lake proudly displays Joyce and Barry Freeman’s names multiple times. Oddly, they were often partnered together and usually won. Joyce had a strong fear and dislike of bees (and all other flying bugs), after a run-in with a beehive when she was 8 years old. You may have had the special opportunity of witnessing an entertaining interaction between the two.

In recent years, Joyce loved to ride around the neighbourhood on her four-wheel motorized scooter, wearing one of the many hats from her collection. On a rainy day, she might have announced that she was going to the “beach”. Beach being code for the casino. As an airline employee, Joyce travelled many times to Europe, Hawaii and Asia but her favourite place was Disneyland, which she called her happy place. Her vacation of choice was cruising. In 2007, she joined her sister Lil and brother-in-law Mike, on their honeymoon cruise in Hawaii together with Mike’s son and daughter who viewed Joyce as their sibling. Joyce fondly recalled her favourite trip; last year’s family Alaska cruise to celebrate her 60th birthday. She was a big fan of west coast native art, Pink and Robert Bateman. She would often blare the latest Pink album throughout the house and she knew all of the words to every song. Her Robert Bateman prints were all personally autographed to her and she has the photos to prove it.

Joyce had college diplomas in accounting and graphic design. She was very artistic and her early hobbies included painting, pottery, crafting and photography. She worked at Pacific Western Airlines which later became Canadian Airlines International and subsequently Air Canada. She retired from Air Canada after 26 years of service. After leaving the airline, Joyce enjoyed her time with CHC Helicopters (Heli-One) for 10 years as a Tool & Equipment Coordinator, thanks to former co-worker, manager and friend, John Seckel.

Left to cherish her memory are her parents, Tom and Hiroko Soga, sister Lil (Mike) Moss, brother Doug (Shannon) Soga, nieces Maddy Soga, Jessica Moss and Nikki Collins (George), nephews Stewart Moss, Derek Freeman (Danielle) and Elyas Stierle, close family Betty Freeman and Randy Freeman (Marion), many cousins, aunts and uncles in BC and Japan, close friends - Terri, Joyce, Susie, Jenny, and Nancy, and dear family friends - the Sedolas, Penneys and Laufers.

The family wishes to extend its gratitude to Joyce’s long-term care doctors and to the staff at the Vancouver General Hospital, for the outstanding care they provided to Joyce and her family; always with compassion, dignity, kindness and respect.

The family would also like to thank all who filled Joyce’s life with happiness, love and laughter. Joyce’s final request was to keep things simple; no funeral service or celebration of life. In lieu of flowers and gifts, the family kindly requests that you consider a donation to the BC Cancer Foundation or the SPCA.

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” ~Dr. Seuss