Joan Marie Marie Ney

Joan Marie Ney, 91, of Scottsdale, AZ, died peacefully, October 31, 2024, surrounded by her family. She is survived by her two sisters-Ruth and Nancy, her three children and their spouses-Cheryl and Michael, Peter and Laurel and Jamie, her two grandchildren-Kieren and Kylie and her dear friend Brenda. She was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Dr. James W. Ney (Jim), her parents Harold and Evelyn, her sister Donna, and her brother Bruce.

Marie was born in Toronto, Ontario on March 25, 1933, where she lived until age 15, spending every summer in Maple, Ontario with her Grandmother Ethel and the extended family there. In 1948, Marie's family moved to Victoria, British Columbia. In 1950, she attended Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta, returning to Victoria in summers. It was then that she met her future husband, Jim, at a Vancouver Island interchurch camp in Maple Bay. Upon graduation, in June 1954, she and Jim married, in Toronto. They then moved to Wheaton, IL, where Jim would begin his graduate education first at Wheaton College then at the University of Michigan, all the while with Marie supporting the family as an office assistant. With two children in tow, Jim and Marie moved the family to East Lansing, MI for Jim's appointment at Michigan State University (MSU). This appointment included a two-year stint at the University of the Ryukyus in Naha, Okinawa (under the auspices of MSU), as well as summer workshops in Miami Florida, Hilo Hawaii, Montreal Quebec, and London England and eventually a sabbatical in Australia---each time traveling with the family since Marie had considerable skills in frequent re-nesting. In 1967, Marie and Jim moved the family to Tempe, AZ, where Jim took up an appointment at Arizona State University (with a final move of the family home to Scottsdale, AZ in the 80s). Through the 1970s, 80s and early 90s, Marie was a devoted mother of swimmers, as her sons avidly pursued this sport. In the 80s, she was hired as the first receptionist at Westminster Village, a senior living facility in Scottsdale, where she served for several years. In addition to her commitment to family life, Marie was well known for her hospitality to relatives, friends, colleagues (including Jim's international students), and neighbors. She lived a wonderful life with Jim, whose love she cherished. Since his passing in 2017, she resided at Westminster Village among new and old friends, a caring staff and family members and friends just down the street. Her kind, soft and gentle spirit will be missed by all whose lives she touched.