Joan Rea (Nee King)

Joan King Rea passed away peacefully in her sleep on Monday, January 20, 2020 at the age of 87 years. She will be dearly missed by her three daughters Sally Brulé of Merritt, BC; Nancy Bell (Peter) of Calgary and Allison Massey (Mitch) of Priddis; four grandchildren Mark, Sean (Erin), Rachel and Simon Massey; and her sister Marianne Davidson (Eldon) of Calgary. Joan is also survived by sisters-in-law Marion King of Calgary, Wendy Rea of Florenceville, NB and Ardeth Kariotis (Kris) of Etobicoke, ON and numerous nieces and nephews. Joan was predeceased by her beloved husband James Franklin Rea; her brother Glenn King; son-in-law David Brulé; and brother-in-law Neville Rea.

Joan was born in High River and lived in Taber close to her beloved grandparents, aunts and uncles until age 8. Then her family moved to a farm in Bull River, BC at the base of the mountains where she made many treasured childhood memories. In 1946 they moved to Cranbrook, BC where she attended and graduated from High School. Joan attended BYU for one year, returning to live in Edmonton briefly and then to Calgary where she worked as a secretary for Imperial Oil. Joan met Jim Rea while they were both acting in a church play and quickly fell in love. They were married in September 1959 and immediately moved into their home on Holden Road where they raised their 3 daughters. Joan lived there for 53 years until moving to Lake Bonavista Village where she enjoyed 7 happy years. A special thank you to all the staff at Lake Bonavista Village for their exceptional care of our mother. People knew Joan as an incredibly kind, generous and thoughtful person. Beautiful handmade cards, freshly baked pies and cookies, and her hand dipped chocolates at Christmas were some of the ways she showed her love for those near and dear to her heart. More than anything, Joan loved and lived for her family who truly were her greatest blessing. Although Joan was slight in stature, she had a mighty spirit and fought her many health challenges with determination and an optimistic attitude. Joan was a faithful and devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and patterned her life after the Saviour through serving others at church and in the community.

We will celebrate Joan’s life at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Heritage Chapel, 935 Heritage Drive SW on Monday, January 27 at 11:00 am with a visitation from 10:00 to 10:45 am prior to the service. A reception will follow the service prior to interment at Mountain View Memorial Gardens.