Obituary of Joanna Doreen Emery

I was born October 3, 1932, in Mineral Springs Hospital, Banff, AB. I was the first child of George Lum and Beryl Kibble. I grew up with six siblings.

Fort Steele was my childhood home, where I attended a one-room school. My mother taught me to respect my heritage, which included English, Chinese and Salish.

From the age of twelve, I was determined to be a Registered Nurse and worked hard to pursue this career for 30 years. After Fort Steele, I attended Cranbrook’s Mount Baker High School, St. Joseph’s School of Nursing in Victoria, and the University of Ottawa.

In 1956, I married John Remington Emery. Together, we lived a happy life, blessed with three children: Susan (Jamie) Hynd, David (Clare) Emery, and Hope (Andy) Hecker. They have given us eleven grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren.

Our family, “the Emery’s,” moved many times following John’s career changes, beginning in Comox, BC (RCA7), then Vancouver, BC (UBC), London, ON, Ottawa, ON and Calgary, AB (City of Calgary). Finally, we returned to Fort Steele when we retired and opened Emery’s Mountain View Bed and Breakfast. It was a beautiful location, and we hosted many wonderful weddings there.

My siblings John, Susan, Lorna, Georgina, and Sylvia predeceased me. My surviving sibling is Judith Clark.

I passed on August 28, 2024, peacefully, and  I look forward to dancing with John once again.

A celebration of life for both John (2022) and Joanna will occur in Cranbrook, BC, on Saturday, October 5th, at 1 pm at Christ Church Anglican.