Obituary of Joyce Marilynn Johnson

JOYCE MARILYNN JOHNSON, ATCM, LRSM AUGUST 21, 1925 – JANUARY 15, 2017 Joyce Johnson died on Sunday, January 15, 2017, at Regina. A proud first generation Canadian, Joyce was the third and last child of William Laing (b. 1874 Montrose, Scotland), and Ingeborg Augusta Landine (b. 1899, Asele, Sweden). Joyce was predeceased by her husband of 44 years, the Honourable Frederick William Johnson in 1993; her brother William (Bill) Laing in 2006, and an infant brother, Roy, in the 1918 flu pandemic. Joyce's early years in the town of Stockholm provided close connection to the Landine family farm and to her many cousins and friends. Sheltered from most of the effects of the Great Depression, her enjoyments of sport and music were encouraged by her adoring parents, and she spent summer weeks of her teenage years at the Banff School of Fine Arts pursuing her musical education. Coming to Regina in the early 1940s, initially to be a war nurse, she found her avocation in music, teaching piano at the Regina Conservatory of Music and earning her Associate of the Toronto Conservatory of Music, and her Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music- London, in piano. After Fred had returned from WWII Service in Europe, he met Joyce through his father, the Minister of Stockholm United Church. When he had completed his law degree in 1949, they were married at Stockholm United Church. Joyce and Fred had three children: Frederick William, Royce Laing Caddick , and Sheila Fredrika. Joyce's life unfolded with her children and with Fred, through his legal and judicial careers, and eventually, in 1983, as the wife of the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan. Her social skills, personal warmth, and joie de vivre were of particular value during this vice-regal period, 1983-1988, meeting with the citizens of Saskatchewan throughout the province. Her encounters with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace and when they attended a dinner at Government House represented high points from this important time in her life. The family home on Leopold Crescent was the centre of her community life. Joyce described her neighbours as 'the best possible'. Family and many friends benefitted from her love of social gatherings and her hosting finesse. Her idea of a vacation was to enjoy the beautiful Qu' Appelle Valley at the family cottage, originally at Round Lake, near Stockholm, and latterly at Pasqua Lake. Joyce always maintained her loyalty and commitment to the musical community in Saskatchewan through the Saskatchewan Registered Music Teachers Association, accepting with pride and pleasure an Honourary Life Membership; and in Regina, through the Regina Musical Club, and volunteering for decades with the annual Regina Music Festival. In her later years her lifelong devotion to Fred found expression when presenting the F W Johnson scholarship at the F W Johnson Collegiate Grade 12 graduation. At the centre of Joyce's life was her family and she is fondly remembered by her three children and their families, Bill and Janet and their children Eric (Deena and their children Chloe and Mia), Adelle (Aaron), Eve Marie (Krzysztof), and Julien (Sarah); Royce and Mary Ann of Edmonton, AB, and their children Sarah, Vanessa, Antonia (Aaron), and Royce; and Sheila and Russell and their children Emily (Kiel), Julia, and Elizabeth. She will also be remembered by her brother William's wife Joan, their three children Valerie, Kathryn and William (Bill), and their families. The Family thanks the dedicated staff at Riverbend Crossing Memory Care Community for their thoughtful care and attention to Joyce over the past 27 months. A Celebration of Joyce's Life will be held at Westminster United Church, 13th Avenue and Cameron Street, Regina, SK, on Friday, January 20, 2017, at 11:00 am. The interment of her ashes in Stockholm United Church cemetery will occur at a later date. Flowers are gratefully declined. Friends so wishing may make donations to the Regina Music Festival Association or the Westminster United Church Organ Fund, 2015 13th Avenue, Regina, SK, S4T lPl.