Joan Butterworth

Passed away peacefully after a short illness with her two sons Steven and David and daughter-in-law Vivian at her side on Sunday May 27th, 2012. Beloved wife of Robert and mother of Steven (Vivian) and David, and grandmother to Amelia (4) and Alexander (3) who were the apple of her eye.

Predeceased by her younger brother Barry in 1992, Joan is also survived by her sister-in-law Betty Hunt (Burton) and her nephews Phillip (Wendy), Brian (Clara), and niece Janice and her son Evan all of Vancouver. Joan will also be dearly missed by her many lifelong and new friends. Born on January 28th, 1933 in Oakville to English and Irish immigrants, the Hunt family was of modest means, but was very tightly knit and Joan enjoyed growing up with all of her extended family and cousins- over the years they looked out for each other and had a lot of great adventures and many funny stories. She left high school early to pursue her life with vigor where she wanted to and was able to start earning her way in life first with the Bell Telephone Company as an operator so she could help support the family and own her first car- a 1954 Volkswagen Beetle. She made close lifelong friends in addition to her close circle of cousins and the Oakville girls have stayed in touch and supported each other over these many years. She then started at the Ford Motor Company in Oakville as a switchboard operator and was the first person in Oakville to own a Ford Mustang in its initial model year. At Ford she met Robert, a Structural Steel Engineer at the new truck plant, and they were married. Soon after Steven arrived in 1968 and they moved to Burlington and shortly thereafter David arrived in 1971. Joan was adored by her very kind and generous in-laws Victor and Marjorie Butterworth, her sister-in-law Barbara and her brother-in-law Bill and his wife Joan (Also Joan Elizabeth Butterworth). She enjoyed many summers at the Butterworth Cottage on Otty Lake with the family and pets.

Joan became very active as a volunteer in Burlington once Steven and David were in school and along with her good friend Peggy/Desiree helped to establish the Block Parents’ Association in the neighborhood of “Little Ireland” around Pauline Johnson PS. The Burlington Teen Tour Band figured large in her life when the boys joined in the 1980’s and she started to chaperone parades, look after uniforms and eventually became the Head Chaperone for the Band’s first trip to Japan and Hawaii. She walked many hundreds of kilometers looking after her 200 kids with her fellow chaperones.

Joan then returned to the work force as a switchboard operator at Sears in Burlington where she had another circle of good friends. In retirement Joan became very active at the Burlington Seniors Centre where she excelled in her Bunka Needlepoint craft work and enjoyed many nice lunches with her good friends there. In the past two years she made many new friends and was elected to the residents’ council at Appleby Place.


Visitation will be at the Ward Funeral Home, 109 Reynolds St., Oakville (905-844-3221) on Wednesday May 30th from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.. A funeral service will be held on Thursday May 31st at 11 a.m. in the funeral home chapel. Reception to follow. A private family interment at the Hunt Family plot at St. Jude’s Cemetery, Oakville. If you are so inclined, the family requests that memorial donations may be made to the Burlington Teen Tour Band Boosters to help kids who demonstrate financial need in order to travel with the band. www.teentourboosters.com

Please visit Joan’s Book of Memories at www.wardfuneralhome .com