Joane Riley

Joane Riley passed away peacefully, of natural causes, on Monday, April 13, 2020, at The Pines in Bracebridge at age 100, with her daughter, Elisabeth Riley (Bill Fish) at her side. With her in spirit from across Canada were her other children: Patricia (Bruce Case), Kenneth (Katya Rangadas), Philip (Cindy Campbell) and Peter (Dawn Fyn); her grandchildren Tim, Simon, Nik, Rohan, Jeremy (Abbie Au), Morgan, Delwin , Jon (Joanne),and Tara and Beckett( deceased ) ,as well as her great- grandchildren Kaitlyn and Bryan and her niece Juliet and Joane’s family in the UK.

Joane was raised in Henley-on-Thames, UK in the aftermath of WW1 and the Spanish flu pandemic. She became a volunteer “Land Girl” (British Women’s Land Army) during World War II when she met a handsome RCAF pilot, Walker Riley, of Milford Bay. After a whirlwind wartime romance and marriage, she came to Canada on one of the first ships carrying “war brides”, arriving after a harrowing boat and train journey to the strange and wintery spectacle of Muskoka, in March 1945.

For the next half century, Joane and Walker were inheritors, keepers and producers of the Riley heritage farm, Brooklands, at Milford Bay. They remained together at the Pines Long Term Care Home until her beloved Walker’s death in 2010.

For Joane, family was everything. Her family’s visits and hearing stories or seeing pictures of family adventures were a joy to her at Brooklands and then during her 12 year residence at the Pines. The wonderful care team there became Joane’s extended family; there was always a smile and concern for the families of her caregivers. She had a deep faith, kept in contact with St Joseph’s parish, read the Bible and participated in television Mass services until the end of her life.

A memorial mass at St Joseph’s Church, Bracebridge, a celebration of her life and interment at St. Mark’s Cemetery, Milford Bay will take place at a future date when gatherings of family and friends are possible.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to Dr Kent Phillips and all the staff of the Pines for their compassionate and loving care over the last 12 years.

As your expression of sympathy, memorial gifts to The Pines Support Committee would be appreciated by her family. To make a donation by cheque, please make it payable to the The Pines and mail to the Pines c/o Leigh Ball, 98 Pine St Bracebridge, P1L 1N5 and if you wish to make a donation by credit card, please call Leigh at 705-645-4488.