Obituary of Joan Smith

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of a remarkable woman, our mother, (Elizabeth) Joan Smith at the age of 88. Matriarch, philanthropist, politician and friend par excellence, there was no corner of life in which Joan did not show up to leave her indelible mark. Joan was born in 1928, the youngest of three girls. If she was not the son everyone expected, no matter. She showed up with an indomitable spirit, steely determination and a razor-sharp intelligence. An “army brat,” who moved a lot as a child, she found her own way and made her own happiness. Her father, Donald MacDonald, a Major-General, the most decorated Canadian soldier in battle in WWI, was her earliest influence. She did not have to be named after him to take after him. At age 19, Joan met her match, another Donald. In her third year of university, and at age 21, she established what would become her trademark pace by marrying, graduating from University of Toronto and having the first of her seven children all in the course of 11 months. She was every bit the match for her ambitious and admiring husband. A woman of action, she was his touchstone and best critic. She stood fearlessly by him as he risked everything to establish himself in the roller coaster world of general construction. For many, that would have been enough. But Joan was a remarkable woman. In the late 1960’s, following Vatican II, Joan, a catholic housewife, was honored with an appointment to the local Synod, a body charged with bringing reform to the Catholic Church. She showed up and worked tirelessly for three years with religious and community leaders (mostly men) on that report – a bold first step in establishing herself as a trailblazing, utterly determined and principled woman of action. Over the course of the next 10 years, Joan served in increasingly responsible capacities for the Catholic Children’s Aid Society, The London Housing Authority, and the United Way very often enjoying the title of “Madame Chair”. Her crowning achievement was the establishment of a new and badly needed children’s mental health agency in 1965, Madame Vanier Children’s Services. It was a natural jump to municipal politics. She had an army of supporters. Her husband (“Mr. Joan Smith” when he was on the campaign trail), her children, her friends, and so many more who had personally been touched by her generosity, all worked tirelessly to help her win. “Politics was not an easy forum for women at that time but social causes found me and I embraced them” she said. She gathered allies and stayed the course making inroads. In 1985, Joan made the leap to provincial politics. She acquired one of her best wardrobe accessories, a pair of signature “red running shoes” and went out determined to knock on every door in her riding. She brought down a Conservative stronghold and joined the Peterson Liberal government - first as Party Whip and then as Ontario’s first female Solicitor-General. She worked tirelessly for social change, altering legislation on gay rights and police conduct. It was ironic then, that a social misjudgment resulted in her resignation from cabinet but not her seat. Her supporters rallied around. When the Liberals were defeated by Bob Rae’s NDP, Joan didn’t fade back into private life, she stepped up again. She put her energy into promoting and guiding King’s College through a period of vital expansion and growth. She spearheaded financial initiatives and became Chairman of their board. In 2001 she was honored with a Doctors of Law from Kings College UWO and in 2008 a Fanshawe College Honorary Diploma. True to form, she took advantage of her moment in the spotlight to call on the graduates “for broader civic involvement…to look around you for creative ways to address the issues of society …If you, our college graduates do not address them as they arise, then who will?” Though others may see a woman ahead of her time who stepped up every time she saw a door with a crack open, a woman unafraid to be the only woman in the room, it never came at the expense of her stepping down from her family. Family dinners were always an occasion. Everyone was welcome. The more the merrier. Anyone who managed an invitation to a Smith family gathering accepted enthusiastically – and then made sure to read the newspaper in preparation. They dined on wonderful food and spirited political repartee compliments of Joan. So what did Joan do in her ‘spare’ time? She cultivated long-lasting friendships, threw parties and travelled the world, yes the whole world, with her husband. The piece de resistance was the 80th birthday party she threw for herself in France. Picture if you will Joan with her husband, her children, their spouses and all of her grandchildren (even a great grandchild or two) floating on barges down a river in France. She just did not step down! At the end of her memoirs, Joan wrote, “My deepest wish is that my children and grandchildren will have considered me to be a good role model for them…I realized I had something to give and it could make a positive difference... I trust my family saw that I was putting my values into practice and making a difference in this world where I could”. Joan is predeceased by her husband. She is indeed a “role model” to her daughters Catherine Martin and Lynne Cram, to her sons Robert (Terry), Geoff (Megan), Michael (Diane), Donald (Jacqueline), David (Jennifer) and to her twenty-two grandchildren and six and a half great-grandchildren, the last of whom she recently met through the miracle of ultrasound. Heart felt thanks to her medical team at UH led by Faisal and Bill, Paul, and to her most excellent caregivers Kym and Yolanda who made Joan’s last months so happy. Friends and family will be received at Windermere Manor, 200 Collip Circle on Thursday February 18th from 1-3 and 7-9. A Celebration of Joan’s Life will be held in The Student Life Centre at King’s University College, 266 Epworth Ave on February 19th, 2:30 – 5:30, with reflections at 3:30. Please wear colour (red?) in Joan’s memory. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Joan Smith Education Fund at King’s College or to Madame Vanier Children’s Services.