Obituary of Joan Lynn

Joan Cecily Lynn (nee McKenzie), of South Country Village in Medicine Hat passed away on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, at the age of 91 years, just 15 days shy of her 92nd birthday. Joan was born March 5, 1928, in Edmonton, to Ralph and Gladys McKenzie, the eldest of six siblings. Joan was only 7 years old when her parents made the trek over the Rocky Mountains in search of a better life. They went to B.C., the land of milk and honey. The family settled in Lumby, just outside of Vernon and near Rollings Lake. Joan went to the local school in Lumby and was able to stay in school until she finished Grade 9. She then went to work at The Bay in Victoria when she was just 16 and lived with her Aunty Eva. In the fall of 1949, Joan went to work as a nanny for the Hawkings family in Bentley, Alta. She loved children and enjoyed being part of this busy family. Joan’s younger brother, David McKenzie, answered an ad in a paper called the Western Producer and went to work on a farm south of Youngstown. The ad had been placed in the paper by a farmer from Youngstown named Pete, and he was looking for a “good, reliable farm hand. Women need not apply.” Joan was close to her younger brother Dave and she longed for a visit. She went to Youngstown to see him and met Pete for the first time in 1951. Joan loved stories about the cowboy way of life and wanted to meet a real cowboy. It was love at first sight and the rest is history. Joan worked for the Hawkings family right up until she and Pete got married. They were married May 17, 1952 in Rimbey at the Church of the Nazarene. Life on the farm at Youngstown and the flatness of the Prairies took some getting used to for Joan. Gone were the mountains, lakes and trees. She adapted to farm life and planted a big garden and lovely flower beds. Joan grew lots of tropical plants indoors as well. She had a natural green thumb and loved working in the garden. Joan and Pete’s family grew when a son, Art joined the family in 1960 and then a daughter, Betty in 1963. Joan was always a bit unsettled around some of the larger animals. The job of gathering the eggs was usually reserved for Art or Betty as part of their chores, but there were times Joan had to do the task herself. She would have the ‘egg pail’ as she made her way to the chicken house. She had to pass through the barn yard on her way and if the horses were up near the barn, they would see her with the pail. The horses were just sure she had a tasty treat for them in the pail and would run to her. This scared Joan and she would run too. She just could not muster the bravery to stop, face these ‘ferocious’ horses and let them look in her pail. Needless to say both she and the horses were out of breath by the time she got over the fence! She was active in her church and loved going to the Youngstown Gospel Chapel for services. She taught Sunday school in the early years while Art and Betty were still quite young. She also was part of the Woman’s Institute in Youngstown and enjoyed the get togethers the ladies would have. Joan was a talented seamstress and loved to sew and quilt. She was also an amazing baker and enjoyed creating tasty treats for her family. Joan enjoyed her trips out to B.C. to stay in touch and visit family. Joan and Pete stayed on the farm until 1984 when Pete’s health started to fail. They moved to Medicine Hat that same year and enjoyed their time in the city. Joan knew the bus routes and was not afraid to hop on the bus and spend a day looking through some of her favorite thrift stores. She always came home with some little treasure that she had found. One time, she was so excited to come across some records and she purchased about 10 of them for a quarter each. It was not until she got home that it dawned on her that she no longer had a record player to play her new found vinyl. Pete and Joan attended the Glenview Church of the Nazarene in Medicine Hat and it was not until Pete had a major stroke in 2002, that she became part of South Country Village. It is here that she began to attend chapel at South Country and met the Chaplain, Bob Findley. Joan was a devout Christian and Bob Findley was someone that she came to appreciate so much as she watched him minister tirelessly to the needs of the elderly. Joan settled in a suite at South Country in order to be close to Pete who was now in continuing care and she would spend each day with him to see to his needs. Her devotion to him was amazing. After Pete’s passing in 2004, she had made so many friends at South Country, that she decided to stay. She moved through the various buildings at South Country as she entered each new stage of aging. She made many friends during her 18 years of living there. She loved her friends and appreciated all the staff and how hard they worked. Joan always wanted to write and publish her stories. That dream became realized in 2013 when she published her one and only book which was a short story of leaving Alberta and travelling over the mountains with her parents as they headed to B.C. Joan was a strong Christian woman who believed in treating people with kindness. She found that to be so much more positive than criticism. She lived her life in a humble, gentle and simple way. She was a person who prayed for her family and those in distress. She had a strong faith and has passed that on to her children. While at South Country, she enjoyed lots of outings, attending church, meals, and trips and seeing family when they would visit. Joan was predeceased by her parents, Ralph and Gladys McKenzie; her younger brother, David and by her beloved cowboy, Pete. Those left to mourn her passing are her son, Art (Ronalea) Lynn of Redcliff; daughter, Betty (Dell) Benson of Monarch; grandsons, Edward of Medicine Hat and Jonathan (Danielle) of Edmonton; step-grandchildren, Jered and Jesse of Medicine Hat, Kurtis of Nobleford and Carson (Vanessa) Benson of Acadia Valley. Joan has seven great-grandchildren and even though her memory began to fail her in her last years as dementia started to cloud her memories, she had such a love for all of her family, immediate and extended. She believed that they were all precious in her eyes, and the eyes of her Lord. She is also survived by her sisters, Dora (Bob) Davidson of Vernon, B.C. and Jean (Ken {deceased}) Egge of Kelvington, SK.; brothers, Doug (Janice) of Armstrong, B.C. and Mike (Geri) of Salmon Arm, B.C. She also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, great-nephews and great-nieces. Joan will be sorrowfully missed by her family, but they take hope in knowing the promises of our Father in Heaven that they will see her again. The Funeral Service will be held at the Wurfel Auditorium, 1720 Bell Street S.W., Medicine Hat on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. with Pastor Bob Findley officiating. A Service will be held at the Youngstown Gospel Chapel, 322 - 3 Avenue SE, Youngstown, Alberta on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at 2:00 p.m. Interment will follow in the Youngstown Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Joan’s name may be made directly to South Country Village, 1720 Bell Street S.W. Medicine Hat, AB. T1A 5G1. Honoured to serve the family is Cook Southland Funeral Chapel as well as Hanna Funeral Services.