In Celebration of
Jana Havard
August 11, 1938 - December 21, 2025
JANA HAVARD, M.Sc., M.A.Sc.
OBITUARY
Jana Havard passed away at Credit Valley Hospital on December 21, 2025 in her 88 th year after a long battle with the after effects of a stroke. She is deeply missed by her loving husband David Havard and daughters Pavlina and Gwen. She was predeceased by her son Gareth. Cremation will be followed by a celebration of Jana’s life at a later date.
Jana was born Jana Johankova, in Prague on August 11, 1938 into a family with a business transcribing western films into the Czech language. She grew up under German and later Russian occupation of the Country. She was a very bright student, getting good grades and was admitted to the Czech Technical University. There she studied engineering, earning her master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and later taught as an Associate Professor. She married Josef Benes and had one daughter Pavlina.
In 1968, Jana received an invitation to pursue further studies at the University of Waterloo where she earned a second master’s degree, this time in civil engineering. Jana became the first female engineering graduate of the University of Waterloo. Jana divorced her first husband and married David Havard and became a Canadian citizen in 1970. Jana was hired by Atomic Energy of Canada, at Sheridan Park and joined the reactor design group working on nuclear power plants for the Ontario grid. She and David had two children, Gareth David and Gwen Janine.
For several years after Gary and Gwen reached adulthood and left home, Jana applied her mathematical aptitude to income tax work at H & R. block. Initially as a tax preparer and later as a checker. She also spent some time as a broker selling industrial real estate.
In 1990 Jana co-sponsored the now adult Pavlina and family’s immigration to Canada. This included Pavlina’s husband Jindra Ryvola and their children Tadeus and Rebeka. They arrived in Toronto after a one year stay in a camp in Austria. Shortly after, they moved to Vancouver where Pavlina found a position as an architect in the planning department.
In 1992 Jana and her husband David set up a home-based engineering company to provide services to the utility industry. Jana managed the financial and business side. She organized the local arrangements for training courses for electrical utility engineers, and for the engineering projects related to overhead power lines. Travelling to the meetings of technical societies, facilitated enjoyable vacations in many countries across Europe and parts of North America.
Jana became very active as a volunteer in the Mississauga chapter of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, taking on, in turn, most executive positions, including chair. Jana received an award of the Order of Honour for her work in 2002. Later she also volunteered at the Living arts Centre as an usher, and in the Active adult Centre of Mississauga on the travel team.
Jana was very outgoing and had many friends. She had a full life, and we are deeply saddened at her passing.
David Havard
December 24, 2025
OBITUARY
Jana Havard passed away at Credit Valley Hospital on December 21, 2025 in her 88 th year after a long battle with the after effects of a stroke. She is deeply missed by her loving husband David Havard and daughters Pavlina and Gwen. She was predeceased by her son Gareth. Cremation will be followed by a celebration of Jana’s life at a later date.
Jana was born Jana Johankova, in Prague on August 11, 1938 into a family with a business transcribing western films into the Czech language. She grew up under German and later Russian occupation of the Country. She was a very bright student, getting good grades and was admitted to the Czech Technical University. There she studied engineering, earning her master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and later taught as an Associate Professor. She married Josef Benes and had one daughter Pavlina.
In 1968, Jana received an invitation to pursue further studies at the University of Waterloo where she earned a second master’s degree, this time in civil engineering. Jana became the first female engineering graduate of the University of Waterloo. Jana divorced her first husband and married David Havard and became a Canadian citizen in 1970. Jana was hired by Atomic Energy of Canada, at Sheridan Park and joined the reactor design group working on nuclear power plants for the Ontario grid. She and David had two children, Gareth David and Gwen Janine.
For several years after Gary and Gwen reached adulthood and left home, Jana applied her mathematical aptitude to income tax work at H & R. block. Initially as a tax preparer and later as a checker. She also spent some time as a broker selling industrial real estate.
In 1990 Jana co-sponsored the now adult Pavlina and family’s immigration to Canada. This included Pavlina’s husband Jindra Ryvola and their children Tadeus and Rebeka. They arrived in Toronto after a one year stay in a camp in Austria. Shortly after, they moved to Vancouver where Pavlina found a position as an architect in the planning department.
In 1992 Jana and her husband David set up a home-based engineering company to provide services to the utility industry. Jana managed the financial and business side. She organized the local arrangements for training courses for electrical utility engineers, and for the engineering projects related to overhead power lines. Travelling to the meetings of technical societies, facilitated enjoyable vacations in many countries across Europe and parts of North America.
Jana became very active as a volunteer in the Mississauga chapter of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, taking on, in turn, most executive positions, including chair. Jana received an award of the Order of Honour for her work in 2002. Later she also volunteered at the Living arts Centre as an usher, and in the Active adult Centre of Mississauga on the travel team.
Jana was very outgoing and had many friends. She had a full life, and we are deeply saddened at her passing.
David Havard
December 24, 2025