G. Nazhad

Joyce Canaan

​

On a somber day in 2018, we gathered to bid farewell to Joyce, a remarkable woman whose impact on our lives was both profound and lasting. As a professor and a staunch feminist, she was often perceived as formidable and unapproachable. However, those of us who were fortunate enough to know her on a deeper level understood that beneath her tough exterior lay a heart of boundless compassion and generosity.

I, too, had the privilege of experiencing Joyce's kindness firsthand. When the ache of missing my mother, who I had not seen in over a decade due to my immigration status, became unbearable, Joyce selflessly arranged for my mother to visit from Kurdistan. It was a gesture of love and empathy that I will never forget.

As we said our final farewells to Joyce, we honoured her wish to be laid to rest in a tranquil woodland setting. It was a fitting choice for a woman who cherished nature and sought to leave a positive environmental legacy. As we lowered her into the earth, we planted an apple tree over her resting place, a symbol of life, growth, and the enduring impact of her spirit on our lives​.

Joyce's funeral was not just a day of mourning, but a celebration of a life well-lived and a legacy that will continue to flourish for generations to come. Though she may no longer be with us, her memory and her influence will linger on, like the shade of the tree she now slumbers beneath.