Joan McNamee HUGHES

Joan McNamee Hughes
Joan McNamee Hughes - 'Jo' - left June 23, 2017 to be with her husband of 66 years, Art Hughes ('Ummer') and her dear daughter Wendy, who both departed this past year. Jo, also known as Joanne, was loving mother to seven children - Peter, Jan, Wendy, Kate, Mary Jo, Bill, and Sarah. She had 13 grandchildren - Paul, Laura, Sam, Bronwen, Liam, Elijah, Ivy, Keegan, Delaney, Bailey, Claire, Jasper and Molly - and three great-grandchildren: Carter, Bennett, and Jane. Coming from a small family - parents Mabel and Fred Little and sister Carol (Colling) - Jo longed for a big family full of babies and love. She got that in spades! She made each of her children feel special and followed their lives with interest and pride. Born August 29, 1930 in Toronto, Jo attended Bishop Strachan in Toronto and Hatfield Hall in Cobourg, Ontario. Upon graduation, she studied nursing in Toronto at which time she met Art - beginning what her family calls 'the romance of the century.' Jo made friends easily. Throughout their lives, Jo and Art kept in touch with friends they made while living in Cleveland, Kitchener, Vineland, Montreal, Edmonton, Weston, Unionville, Stamford, Thornhill, Roseneath, Cobourg, Picton, Grafton, and Toronto. Over all these moves, Jo maintained friendships with members of the longstanding Toronto Bridge Club. Her children remember many raucous bridge luncheons she hosted with plenty of great food and wine. They never did witness them playing bridge! Jo's best friend from childhood, Jane Kieffer, was so close that her children called her Auntie Jane. Another fabulous friend was Joan Elliott (Auntie Joan). Jo and Art enjoyed retirement at their home in Venice, Florida. There they made many friends. What drew people to Jo was her kindness and her sincere interest; within minutes of meeting, she would know someone's life story. She is remembered for her generosity and her respect for people in all walks of life. This extended to love of animals. At one point she and her family had three dogs, two cats, and a horse. She was also a wonderful daughter. She cared for her father in her home from age 97-103. Another significant friend was Joan Elliott (Auntie Joan), and Aunt Kate, Art's last remaining sister who stayed in close touch with Jo throughout the years. Jo was elegant. She had a sense of beauty, and skill in decorating and in creating distinctive homes wherever she lived. After every move, she quickly set up home, having all the pictures hung by the end of the first day. She loved antiques, and instilled her love of history, creativity, and beauty in all her children. In the 1970s she ran an antique store, 'Sister Kate's' in Port Carling near her cottage on Lake Rosseau in Muskoka. Her children have many memories of her at the cottage. She prepared delicious meals that seemed to magically appear while they enjoyed summer activities. Late in the afternoon she would take a dip in the lake, wearing sunglasses and swimming without getting her hair wet. Once a summer she would grace her family with one perfect dive. Jo was a voracious reader. Because she often read an entire novel in a day, her family struggled to keep her in books. She used to say she would never be lonely as long as she had a book. She read the Globe and Mail thoroughly each day, keeping up with politics. Jo will be missed by family, especially at cocktail hour. She enjoyed a glass of wine (with ice in it), and 'just a snitch' of cheese. At this time of day she and Art never ran out of things to discuss. We will dearly miss her and hope she is with 'Ummer' and Wendy, somewhere together enjoying cocktail hour. As per Jo's wishes, a family celebration of life is planned for August. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to Covenant House. As Jo would often say, 'Well, that's the story.'