Passed away peacefully at the Sault Area Hospital on Saturday, March 12, 2022 at the age of 84. Loving wife of Fred. Mother of Andrew (Brenda), Marney Kent and Carolyn Leach. Grandmother of six, Great Grandmother of seven. Youngest daughter of the late Blanche and Ernest Johnston. Sister of Blanche Murphy (late John) of Kingston, predeceased by Elsie Richards (Joe), Harry (Iris), Dorothy Slingsby (Gordon), Tom (Margaret), Alice Skagen (Charles). Sister-in-law of the late Elsie Stevens (Harold), Harold Kent (late Edith), Leona Read (late Ernie), Jo Rains (late Gordon), Jean Gallagher (late Robert).
Joy grew up in East Korah Twp where she attended Greenwood School and the East Korah United Church. As an adult she became a member of Central United Church, where she was later married and taught Sunday school. When her own children reached school age, she embarked on a long career of volunteer work with developmentally challenged children and this may have led her to enroll in an evening course called ‘Early Childhood Development’.
She continued to volunteer running a pre-school program for new Canadian children while their parents attended English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. Joy continued volunteer work throughout her life at the Plummer Hospital and leading the “Verdi Social Program” for handicapped adults. She enjoyed working with the other volunteers at the Verdi Hall and was active in that program over the next twenty years. She was voted “Volunteer of the year” for the city of Sault Ste. Marie during that time.
It’s clear that Joy loved children, especially those faced with challenging circumstances. To her they were all God’s Children, and she even brought them into her own home through the foster care program. Through her dedication to her causes some of the same individuals she met during her first volunteer job she later attended to as adults.
A celebration of Joy’s life will be planned for the summer of 2022. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Arthur Funeral Home – Barton & Kiteley Chapel (492 Wellington St. E., 705-759-2522). Those wishing to make a donation in memory of Joy can direct them to Central United Church, the Alzheimer’s Society, or a charity of your choice. The family would like to thank all those caring people who attended to her during the last few difficult days. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.arthurfuneralhome.com for the Kent family.