Joyce Holman
1936 - 2015
Jessie "Joyce" Ferguson Holman, passed away peacefully with family by her side in Taber on Thursday, July 16, 2015 from bile duct cancer, a rare form of liver cancer at the age of 78 years.
The Funeral Service was held at the Evangelical Free Church, 5431 - 48 Avenue, Taber on Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at 2:00 P.M. Burial followed at the Taber Memorial Garden.
Joyce is survived by her daughter Debbie (Brian) Brewin of Taber and their children Lindsay Brewin and Denver (Natasha) Brewin; daughter Brenda Holman (Rick Fehr) of Taber and their children Tonia Elgie (Patrick Plaster - their children Karden and Rayden) and Tierza Fehr; son Glenn Holman of Taber and his children Chelsey and Scott Holman; sister Isa Lewis from Edinburgh, Scotland. She will be fondly remembered by many brothers and sisters-in-law, numerous nieces,nephews and close friends.
She was predeceased by her son Cameron Holman; mother and father Alexander and Jessie (nee Park) Crawford of Edinburgh, Scotland; brothers Alexander, Andrew, George and Cameron Crawford and sister Masie Glines as well as her brother and sisters-in-law.
Joyce was born on September 2, 1936 in Edinburgh Scotland. She was the youngest of seven siblings who all remained in Scotland except her oldest sister, who moved to Saskatchewan. At the age of twenty, she came to Canada to live with her sister. Her first job was with Sask-Tel. Shortly after, she moved to Calgary and continued her work as an operator with AGT, where Joyce started dating Lenard Holman of Taber. They were married on April 1, 1961. Their first son Cameron was born in Mayerthorpe in 1964 and two years later, daughter Debbie was born in Whitecourt. After Debbie was born, they found their way back to Taber where they were blessed with twins, Brenda and Glenn. In 1981, after Lenard passed away, she worked very hard and many long hours to provide for the family. She had a few odd jobs throughout the years, but her main job title was a seamstress at Chinook Cleaners/Unifirst Canada. At age sixty three, she filed for early retirement, which was well deserved.
She was a long standing member of the Order of Royal Purple, where she met many wonderful ladies and participated in numerous fundraisers and events. She was also a member of the Royal Canadian Legion and supported the organization as much as possible. Joyce also found time to join a mixed bowling league in Taber. She was a die hard CFL fan and she was always cheering on her favourite team the Calgary Stampeders. Joyce loved to watch figure skating, curling and never missed any World’s Sporting Events, Olympic Games or the Pan Am games. She also loved to play board games and card games and definitely liked to win, most notably “yahtze”.
Joyce’s children and grandchildren were very dear to her and she supported them in every way. She loved unconditionally and gave whole heartedly. Joyce made family gatherings a lot of fun, as she always had a witty sense of humour and made everyone laugh. She taught her family the value of a dollar and showed them first hand what work ethic was, while also doing a great job raising her four children. She never complained and always seen the positives in life. Joyce was a fun loving, gracious, supportive, strong woman with a beautiful spirit. She touched the lives of everyone she knew and there will be a special place in their hearts for her. She will be greatly missed by all of her family and friends and she is now an angel watching over everyone.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes in Joyce’s name may be made directly to the Taber Food Bank, 5512 - 48 Avenue, Taber, Alberta T1G 1S4 or to the Canadian Cancer Society, 317 - 10 Street South, Lethbridge, Alberta T1J 2M7.