Joan Winifred Etheridge

Joan Winnifred Etheridge, born October 23, 1936 to Sydney and Celia Etheridge (nee Packenham) and spent most of her youth in the seaside town of Bognor Regis, UK. Discovering a passion for travel and exploration, as a young adult she travelled in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and finally settled in Canada to explore its rivers, lakes, mountains and culture.
 
When Joan’s feet hit Canadian soil, one of the first things she did was hitch a ride by motorcycle to see the country. She settled for a time in Montreal with her first husband, Thomas Hedley and at age 35, she achieved her Bachelor’s in Chemistry from the University of McGill. Her career took her to government programs, labs at UBC, St. Michael’s Hospital, Eldorado Nuclear, worked on safety regulations for the nuclear power industry and taught students at Sheridan College. In a time when pursuing a career and taking part in outdoor adventure was ‘a man’s game’, Joan’s love of nature, mountaineering and backpacking took her across countless mountain ranges, breaking barriers and expectations in her personal and professional life.
 
A strong supporter of environmental causes, a sailor, canoeist, and mischief maker; life was never dull when Joan was around. At the age of 69, she married her long-time love, Gerald Yellowlees. Joan and Gerry loved to adventure together, taking their nieces on canoe trips and sailing in the Bahamas, moving to Vancouver Island, and travelling to Mexico, Spain and beyond. Joan’s curiosity and zest for life remained unabated throughout her multiple cancer diagnoses and 15+ years living with Parkinson’s.
 
Joan is survived by her husband, Gerry; niece Sarah, sister-in-law Naomi Yellowlees; good friend Maria, goddaughter, Alexandra (Nicholas); niece Tatiana (Jefferey); great nephews, Felix, Henry, Maxim and Thomas, and a wide network of friends and family across the globe. Joan is predeceased by her parents and older brother, Michael.
 
A funeral service will be held in Ladysmith on November 8, 2024 at 1pm at Telford’s Chapel (112 French St). A celebration of Joan’s life will be hosted in the coming months. Please consider donating to Vancouver Island Symphony https://vancouverislandsymphony.com/ or the Marmot Recovery Foundation https://marmots.org/ in lieu of flowers.