April 5, 1934 - April 13, 2025
Joan was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario. Her parents, Thomas Dryden and Edna Dryden (nee Essig), had Joan later in life, and died when she was still a young woman.
Joan's main desire in life was to travel and see the world. She joined the Canadian Air Force after graduating from high school. The Air Force offered her an opportunity to travel overseas if she joined up for a second term. It turned out that overseas was not Europe, as she had hoped, but instead Comox, B.C.
At the Air Force base in Comox, she met and married John Hooley in 1957. They moved briefly to John's native England and then back to Vancouver, B.C., where their daughter, Lynn was born in 1959.
While working full-time, and raising Lynn as a single mom, Joan was able to complete a diploma in Tourism from BCIT. After getting her diploma she worked for municipal governments, travel agencies, until she landed her dream job with Pacific Airlines (later Canadian Airlines, and finally Air Canada). She worked in the airline industry for 20 years and travelled to numerous amazing places in our wonderful world.
In 1984 she married the boy next door, Norman Hawker, and they continued to travel, especially loving to cruise to various ports around the world. In the 1990s, Norm and Joan moved from Vancouver to White Rock where they stayed for the rest of their lives.
True to her determined spirit, she tried to fight the indignity of mandatory retirement at age 65, but was unfortunately unsuccessful. However, she continued to work in tourism, by volunteering at the Vancouver Airport and by working in the cruise ship industry. She was still working up until age 85!
Joan enjoyed volunteering with community groups and organizations. You could always find her in great conversations with all of those she met.
Joan moved to Oceana in 2019. She loved living there and was healthy and independent until she had a stroke in early April. Joan passed away at the Peace Arch Hospital on April 13, 2025, surrounded by her family.
Joan was pre-deceased by her stepdaughter-in-law Margriet Huisman-Hawker; stepchildren Beth Pearmain (nee Hawker), Matthew Hawker, and Nick Hawker. Joan's husband, Norm, passed away in 2018.
Leaving to mourn Joan's passing are numerous friends and family. Surviving Joan are her daughter, Lynn Hooley Brown (husband Chris Brown) and her step-son-in-law, Jim Pearmain (partner Hazel). She is also survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Marissa Hawker - van den Bogaard (husband Dennis van den Bogaard) and their children Bram and Mats; Thomas Hawker; Robert Hawker; Alexandra Pearmain (partner Brian); Kaitlynn Pearmain; Cameron Brown (wife Kilju Jeon) and their children Angela, Nathan, and step-granddaughter Ahyeon; Graham Brown (fiancée Meghan Lambie).
A celebration of Joan's life will be held in White Rock in September.
For messages of condolence to the family, please visit: https://www.asimplecremation.ca/tribute/joan-catherine-hawker