In Celebration of
Joan Mary McKeen (née Woodward)
March 4, 1928 - October 4, 2025
Joan Mary McKeen (née Woodward) passed away on Saturday, October 4, 2025, in Mississauga at the age of 97.
Joan—known as “Mum,” never “Mother”—will be dearly missed by her two boys, Ronald and Stuart, and her daughter-in-law, Katherine. The latter was Mum’s favourite, more than ably substituting for the daughter she never had. Mum, affectionately called “Nana” or “Different Nana” when necessary will also be missed by her six grandchildren—Carolyn, Courtney (Rick), Marion (Mike), Philip (Tammy), Sharon (Ryan), and Sandra (Nathan)—and her four great-grandchildren, Tristan, Quinn, Ethan, and Logan.
Mum’s life was a fascinating journey. Her father, Arthur Woodward, was an engineer who left Australia for a job in Calcutta, India. There, he met and married Mum’s mother, Hilda Rebello, an Indian citizen with roots deep in Portuguese Goa. They had two children: Mum and her older brother, Frederick (Fred).
Fred left India in the early 1940s, working in various countries before finally settling in Ottawa, Canada. At the conclusion of World War II, he sent for Mum to join him, as India was going through a rather unsettling period related to independence. Only 19 years old, Mum travelled alone on an ocean freighter through the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean, and across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in Savannah, Georgia. From there, she made her way to New York City and finally to Ottawa.
Mum soon found clerical work at the National Research Council (NRC), where she forged lasting friendships. It was at the NRC that she also met her future husband, Earl. They were married in 1949 in the Glebe in Ottawa.
After leaving the NRC, she worked in the education system as either an office worker or librarian. Mum was an extremely competent and creative woman, excelling at all tasks she undertook. Strangely, she developed a penchant for obtaining employment at every high school her sons attended. Coincidence? Maybe—or perhaps she just wanted to “keep an eye” on her teenage boys!
After her retirement, Mum enjoyed travelling—especially to Europe with Dad. Together with Fred, she made a memorable trip to Australia to meet their “Aussie” connections. Later, she crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary II, explored the Falklands and the Panama Canal, and toured Asia, including Shanghai and Hong Kong. Mum did return to India. In 1985, together with a friend, she visited Calcutta and other regions of India by train, rickshaw, and taxi. At my mother’s insistence, they even rode an elephant—her favourite animal. Never one to be taken advantage of, Mum reprimanded a possibly unscrupulous Calcutta taxi driver who seemed intent on overcharging two foreign tourists. Speaking perfect Hindi, she told him he should be taking the “most direct” route to the hotel, not the “most expensive” one.
Mum loved collecting art and developed an extensive gallery of oils and watercolours, which she proudly displayed in her home on Morley Blvd. She also enjoyed sketching, painting, and, early on, making some of her own clothes on her Singer Sewing Machine. Mum had a particular dry sense of humour that made her grandchildren laugh. Mum often wrote clever poems and limericks, too.
She was a key member of the McKeen/Shaver clan of aunts and uncles in Ottawa, finding great joy in attending family holidays, graduations, birthdays, and anniversaries in both Ottawa and Mississauga. She always kept in touch with her work friends from the NRC, hosting get-togethers or attending luncheons at the Canadian Club of Ottawa to reminisce about the “old days” or discuss current politics.
With advancing Alzheimer’s, Mum spent her final years at Wellbrook Place in Mississauga. We will always be grateful to the nursing staff at Wellbrook Unit 2B for the outstanding care and support given to our Mum.
Although no date has been set, a celebration of Mum’s life is being planned.
Joan—known as “Mum,” never “Mother”—will be dearly missed by her two boys, Ronald and Stuart, and her daughter-in-law, Katherine. The latter was Mum’s favourite, more than ably substituting for the daughter she never had. Mum, affectionately called “Nana” or “Different Nana” when necessary will also be missed by her six grandchildren—Carolyn, Courtney (Rick), Marion (Mike), Philip (Tammy), Sharon (Ryan), and Sandra (Nathan)—and her four great-grandchildren, Tristan, Quinn, Ethan, and Logan.
Mum’s life was a fascinating journey. Her father, Arthur Woodward, was an engineer who left Australia for a job in Calcutta, India. There, he met and married Mum’s mother, Hilda Rebello, an Indian citizen with roots deep in Portuguese Goa. They had two children: Mum and her older brother, Frederick (Fred).
Fred left India in the early 1940s, working in various countries before finally settling in Ottawa, Canada. At the conclusion of World War II, he sent for Mum to join him, as India was going through a rather unsettling period related to independence. Only 19 years old, Mum travelled alone on an ocean freighter through the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean, and across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in Savannah, Georgia. From there, she made her way to New York City and finally to Ottawa.
Mum soon found clerical work at the National Research Council (NRC), where she forged lasting friendships. It was at the NRC that she also met her future husband, Earl. They were married in 1949 in the Glebe in Ottawa.
After leaving the NRC, she worked in the education system as either an office worker or librarian. Mum was an extremely competent and creative woman, excelling at all tasks she undertook. Strangely, she developed a penchant for obtaining employment at every high school her sons attended. Coincidence? Maybe—or perhaps she just wanted to “keep an eye” on her teenage boys!
After her retirement, Mum enjoyed travelling—especially to Europe with Dad. Together with Fred, she made a memorable trip to Australia to meet their “Aussie” connections. Later, she crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary II, explored the Falklands and the Panama Canal, and toured Asia, including Shanghai and Hong Kong. Mum did return to India. In 1985, together with a friend, she visited Calcutta and other regions of India by train, rickshaw, and taxi. At my mother’s insistence, they even rode an elephant—her favourite animal. Never one to be taken advantage of, Mum reprimanded a possibly unscrupulous Calcutta taxi driver who seemed intent on overcharging two foreign tourists. Speaking perfect Hindi, she told him he should be taking the “most direct” route to the hotel, not the “most expensive” one.
Mum loved collecting art and developed an extensive gallery of oils and watercolours, which she proudly displayed in her home on Morley Blvd. She also enjoyed sketching, painting, and, early on, making some of her own clothes on her Singer Sewing Machine. Mum had a particular dry sense of humour that made her grandchildren laugh. Mum often wrote clever poems and limericks, too.
She was a key member of the McKeen/Shaver clan of aunts and uncles in Ottawa, finding great joy in attending family holidays, graduations, birthdays, and anniversaries in both Ottawa and Mississauga. She always kept in touch with her work friends from the NRC, hosting get-togethers or attending luncheons at the Canadian Club of Ottawa to reminisce about the “old days” or discuss current politics.
With advancing Alzheimer’s, Mum spent her final years at Wellbrook Place in Mississauga. We will always be grateful to the nursing staff at Wellbrook Unit 2B for the outstanding care and support given to our Mum.
Although no date has been set, a celebration of Mum’s life is being planned.