January 22, 2023
Our mom, Jo, passed away peacefully during the evening of Sunday, January 22nd, 2023.
Jo was born in Beverly, a Ukrainian suburb on the outskirts of Edmonton, where her parents, Mike and Annie Danylyshyn, owned a small farm which Annie and the children tended while her father worked in the coal mine. After her father passed away in 1935, the family's economic reality changed and they faced many challenges so Jo, at the age of 17, left home to start her own life adventure in Vancouver. She found work for the CPR ferries where she met her future husband, Maurice Bachand. The two of them had many fun times with other crew members, some of whom stayed lifelong friends. After living on acreage outside of Steveston for ten years they settled in Vancouver where mom worked for the Hudson's Bay Company in the accounting department. After Mom's retirement in 1989 they began splitting their time between White Rock and Birch Bay, where they loved to have the grandchildren visit. Jo and Maurice travelled widely for years, visiting Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia (at least ten times). Following Dad's passing in 1997, Mom, an independent woman, kept travelling and finding new adventures. She also loved her bowling, bingo and a good game of crib!
Jo is survived by her daughters Lynn (Roger Smith) and Valerie (Jim Wingham) as well as six grandchildren and six great grandchildren. An internment service is planned for the Spring. Donations to the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation would be appreciated as Mom proudly volunteered there.