Jo-Anne

Kevin shared some of his reflections on those years together: “We were almost 6 years apart so when Jo-Anne left home, I was 12 or 13. I remember when we had to move across Canada, we used to fight over which side of the car to sit on. She used to complain to our mum that I was ‘breathing on her’ .” The family made 5 more moves – St. John’s, NB for 3 years, Gagetown, NB for 1 year, Chilliwack for 2 years, Clinton, Ont. for 2 years and finally, back to Chilliwack, their last move.

A childhood marked by so much travel might well produce an adult content to stay put. Not so for Jo-Anne. As an adult, she loved discovering the world, and her travels, both for work and pleasure, took her across Canada and the US and further afield to places like Costa Rica, Belise, Scotland, England, Italy, Greece and Turkey. When Jo-Anne decided to leave home and move out on her own, Kevin chuckles at the first meal she cooked for the family at her new place. “She made lasagna but didn’t boil the noodles so it was a little crunchy.” If Jo were here with us now, I’m sure she would have had a snappy comeback to that story. Every great cook has the odd disaster. This was one of very few for Jo. Her eventual culinary talents were legendary.

When Kevin and his fiancee Bernice married in 1989, Jo-Anne was the MC at their wedding. Bernice remembers: “We had so many laughs as Jo attempted to pronounce the Dutch names for the out of town guests. She became one of my sisters, an honorary member of the “sistas”, and was truly a part of my family as well.” Kevin and Bernice went on to have two sons, Jo-Anne’s beloved nephews, Eric, now 26 and living in Toronto and Adam, 28, finishing studies in San Jose, California. Jo-Anne adored “the boys” and followed their many achievements with enormous love and pride.

Jo’s long career in the BC public service began in Prince George as a financial assistance worker and ended as the manager of Federal Provincial Negotiations in the Ministry of Children and Families. She completed a political science degree at UVic and was known for her incisive and informed political analysis. Jo-Anne’s trademark slogan was the feminist rallying cry: “The  personal is political.” Jo-Anne shared a big part of her career years with Dave, moving from Prince George in the mid 80s to settle in Victoria .

Beloved four-legged furry friends Holly and then Sheba were always the first to greet visitors at the front door of the Colquitz  house. After retiring, Jo-Anne started yearning for a quieter life, out of the bustle and traffic of the city. With the Ladies Housing Society at her side, she found the perfect spot to make her new home in Sidney, BC next door to BJ and Ray who became not only wonderful neighbours but dear friends. Leaving behind her beautiful but all-consuming garden at Colquitz, Jo-Anne turned her attention to creating a welcome spot in her back yard for birds to visit, have a snack and splash in the birdbath. Retirement also meant more time to indulge Jo’s love of reading, cooking, knitting, genealogy, and spending time with friends and family and her late foster dog, Max. Jo passed away at home, her sanctuary, on Nov. 19, 2020. We will all miss her deeply and cherish her memory.