MEYER, Joan Margaret

With her daughter by her side, Joan Margaret Meyer of Saskatoon (formerly of Swift Current and earlier, of Rush Lake and of Lanigan, Saskatchewan) passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 25, 2023, after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. She will be dearly missed by her family and many friends.

Joan was born June 22, 1948 to Herman (Herb) and Mildred (Blondie) Siegel of Lanigan as the first of five daughters in her family. She was raised on the family farm, where she developed a lifelong dedication to family, community, faith, and hard work. She and the love of her life, her husband of 52 years, Donald Meyer, married in 1969. Their daughter, Geraldine (Geri), was born in 1969, and their son Rohn in 1972.

Joan met Don while attending Saskatoon Business College. She obtained her Certificate of Administration from University of Regina, and completed the Corporate Governance Training Program for Directors of Crown Corporations at the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Joan and Don farmed on the Meyer family homestead at Rush Lake from 1969 until 1999. The farm was diverse with grains, cattle, hogs and chickens. Joan was extremely committed to her family and was a strong and loving presence in all of their lives. She loved spending time with her grandchildren, and always cheered them on in their many activities.

Joan integrated her strong Lutheran faith in all aspects of her life. She was a member and assisted when needed at St. Olaf's in Swift Current, and once she and Don moved to Saskatoon, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, serving on both church councils and as treasurer. She volunteered with the Lutheran Care Society (LuMinHos) as Administrative Assistant, on the Council of the Saskatchewan Synod as Administrator and Secretary, with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) as National Vice-President, and as a member of the Lutheran Merger Commission.

Whenever there was anything that needed to be done in her community, Joan ensured it got done. She was the Administrator of the R.M. of Excelsior and Wheatland Mall in Swift Current, did bookkeeping for many different associations, and provided management consulting services for non-profit organizations and small businesses. She held numerous volunteer roles, including as one of the first members of the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel, the President and Treasurer of the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan, the Executive Director of SWEEP (now Recycle Saskatchewan), as the Chair and a founding board member of Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation, and was appointed by the Governor General of Canada as a director of the Farm Credit Corporation. She volunteered in many elections at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. In recognition of her many contributions, she was awarded the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in 2006 and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. In 2006, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Christian Letters from the Lutheran Theological Seminary.

Joan was predeceased by her father Herb and in 2021, her husband Don. Joan will be lovingly remembered by her daughter Geri Meyer (Brad Pavlove) and son Rohn (Kelsey) Meyer, grandchildren Paige and Rachel Pavlove and Conrad Meyer, mother Mildred (Blondie) Siegel,

sisters June (Ken) Bartel, Beverly Pavlich (Jake Satre), Bettyann Cox, and Wendy Smith, many nieces and nephews and other family members and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Joan to Jim Pattison Children's Hospital Foundation at pattisonchildrens.ca or to LuMinHos at https://www.luminhos.org/donate/.

The funeral will be held on Monday, March 6, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church at 1215 McKercher Drive in Saskatoon. Interment will follow at Peace Lutheran Church at a later date.