Joanne KWON

KWON, Joanne Kee Jong
Beloved wife of Professor Oh Yul Kwon, mother of Janice (Mark) and Brian (Colleen), and grandmother of Caroline, Serena, and Alicia, died on Monday, February 20, 2017 in Vancouver. Born in 1938 in South Korea, Joanne attended the prestigious Ewha Women's University in Seoul. She immigrated to Canada (Saskatoon) in 1966 to join her fiancé Yul, whom she married that year. She worked as a pharmacist at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton. After her children were born, she dedicated her life to supporting her family in Ottawa, Regina, Kingston, Brisbane (Australia), and Vancouver. Joanne was not only a talented tailor, dressmaker, cake decorator, chef, and organic gardener, she was also an award winning artist. Oil painting and embroidery were her favourite artistic media, and she gifted her works to hospitals in London and Toronto, and to family and friends. Joanne was also charitable with her time, and assisted numerous Korean families adjust to their new communities in Canada and Australia. She will be remembered for her kind, generous, and gentle heart, and her unwavering commitment to family and friends. Family and friends are invited to pay their respects from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 24, 2017 at WEST POINT GREY BAPTIST CHURCH, 4509 West 11 Avenue, Vancouver. Both Joanne and Yul were able to come to Canada because of scholarship support to further their education. They subsequently established a scholarship fund to support this generation's youth in their pursuits of higher education. In lieu of flowers, a contribution in memory of Joanne can be made to the Kwon Family Scholarship through the Vancouver Korean-Canadian Scholarship Foundation. Tax receipts will be issued for donations to this scholarship: Kwon Family Scholarship, c/o VKCSF, #100-504 Cottonwood Avenue, Coquitlam, BC V3J 2R5. Visit www.mbfunerals.com to send a personal condolence.