It is with profound sadness that the family announces the passing of Joan Alida Louise Carr (nee Germain), of Guelph, Ontario on Jan. 11, 2024 at the Guelph General Hospital, at the age of 87.
Joan was born on Dec. 6, 1936 to Frank and Rose Germain in Massey, ON. She was the youngest of three children.
Joan married Lauriant Duchesne on Sept. 23, 1957. Prior to them being married, Joan lovingly adopted Lauriant’s three children from a previous relationship. Lauriant and Joan went on to have three more children prior to his untimely passing on his birthday in 1969. Faced with being widowed at the age of 32, Joan’s determination was unwavering as she raised all six of her children on her own. She was a dedicated mother, role model, and human being as she persevered and built a life for herself and her children. She embodied the best qualities: unconditional love, strength of spirit, and an unending generosity that could be seen by her family and countless others. Being a single mother and wanting a better life for her family, she embarked on post-secondary education and obtained her nursing diploma. Given her circumstances, this was by no means an easy feat. On Aug. 8, 1992, Joan married her second husband, Wendall Carr. They have been inseparable ever since. Joan was strong willed and stubborn at times but had an enormous heart and truly loved her family. She spent much of her free time enjoying her friends and family. When her time came, she carried herself with dignity, strength, and full of love.
Over her nursing career, she worked on several units including maternity, pediatrics, burn, geriatrics, and psychiatry. She retired from the Homewood Health Centre and dedicated her career to helping others in their greatest time of need. She had an immense passion for her family, friends, and career. Joan was adventurous and had a zest for life, often exceeding the limits of what one might expect, given her age.
Joan will be loved and missed by many on earth but has joined her parents: Frank Germain and Rose Germain (nee McGregor), her siblings: Elaine Germain and William (Bill) Germain, her first husband Lauriant Duchesne and her beloved pets.
She is survived by her second husband: Wendall Carr, her children: Theodore (Ted) Duchesne, Leona Hilliard (Carl), Yvonne Giroux (Claude), Rodney Duchesne (Tina), Andre Duchesne (Lisa), and Sherry Duchesne, 8 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren.
Family and friends are welcome to attend visitation from 11 – 1 p.m. followed by funeral services at the Memory Gardens Funeral Home & Cemetery on Tuesday Jan. 16, 2024 in Breslau, ON at 2723 Victoria Street North. The family welcomes donations to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) as an expression of sympathy instead of flowers.
Joan will be forever missed. Until we meet again. Joan was a strong fighter, but now she is flying high on a journey we cannot see…
“Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean."