Joan M Hall-Patch

Joan Marie Hall-Patch was born in Horley, England, on November 26, 1924 to Grace Mary Violet Wallin (née Carey) and Charles Ethelbert Wallin and died July 4, 2021 at Mount St Mary Hospital in Victoria, BC. Loving mother to Nicholas, Andrew (Gloria); Judith, Teresa, and Catherine; grandmother to Lucy, Clare, Vanessa (Trent); Mark (Nicole); and Peter (Nola); and great-grandmother to James and Wynn. Survived by family in England, Australia, and Canada. Predeceased by Michael, her devoted husband of 68 years, her brothers Jim and Rob, and daughter-in-law, Susan.

Joan loved ballet and took lessons for much of her young life. As an adult, she worked as a stenographer/admin assistant in London for several years before marrying Michael on May 1, 1948 in England; shortly after they emigrated to Vancouver, BC. Despite leaving her family with whom she was close and moving to a country where she knew virtually no one, she made her life in Canada a huge success.

Joan loved knitting, sewing and needlepoint and, as we grew, kept her family in homemade sweaters, dresses, shirts, and pyjamas. On birthdays and at Christmas, we waited in anticipation to see what she had made for us!

Joan was progressive, an avid recycler who wrote letters to companies about unnecessary packaging before it became mainstream practice. She also preserved many of the fruits and vegetables she grew in her prolific and beautiful garden, which was a peaceful place – in the summer months, the backyard was often full of all ages; family and good friends were always welcome. Joan was an exceptional gardener - her English garden was a vibrancy of colour - from the tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, irises, poppies, and lilies to the passionfruit, clematis, lavender, rhododendrons, and her lovingly tended rose gardens.

Together, Joan and Mike ran their thriving business, Idealetter Services, before retiring in 1986. They then spent many enjoyable years travelling internationally.

Joan volunteered with the St Patrick’s Parish Catholic Women’s League for over 40 years and is remembered as being reliable, thorough, calm, loyal, friendly, and analytical. She was noted in the group for having a clear mind and would anticipate the results accurately when a course of action was taken. Together with other key parishioners, she and Mike helped to successfully organize the annual church bazaar.

We often had music in the house: vinyl recordings playing of some of her favourite ballets – Swan Lake, The Nutcracker Suite, and The Red Shoes. And who could forget the smell and taste of her freshly baked bread? Joan was a creative cook and quintessential baker of both sweet and savoury delights which her children and grandchildren had the privilege to enjoy. Joan was a mother, not just to her own children, but to many: nurturing, caring, ready to listen and help out.

The family would like to thank the staff at Mount St. Mary Hospital for the compassion, respect, and excellent care provided to Joan over the past eight years. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Patrick’s Church at 1pm on Monday, July 19th. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Society of St Vincent de Paul.