Joan Merrifield
June 17, 1951 – Dec. 24, 2024
It is with great sadness that we said goodbye to Joan Merrifield on December 24th from complications stemming from ALS.
Joan grew up in the suburbs of Montreal until her family moved to near Brockville, Ontario when Joan was 16. Joan finished high school and began to lust for great adventures, traveling across Canada. The beauty and wilds of BC kept pulling her back out west. Joan and then husband, Eric Lauinger and son Jamey moved to northern BC in the mid 1970’s before settling in Parksville and then Nanoose. Joan went to Malaspina Collage and took a job developing what is now the Morrell Nature Sanctuary in Nanaimo. Through creating nature programs for youth and working with schools, Joan rekindled her natural passion for teaching. A love that began as an adolescent when Joan would convene school in her basement during summer vacations. She was known to gather the neighbour kids to go on nature walks through the neighbourhood. In the early 1990’s Joan attended Simon Fraser University, completing her B.Ed. She began her teaching career at Charles Dickens Elementary School, teaching a 5/6/7 family grouping with her team teacher Ailsa Craig. It was while at SFU that Joan met Cathy Welch, her life partner of 33+ years. Joan and Cathy bought property on Gabriola and Joan moved permanently to Gabriola in the late 1990’s. Joan was the head teacher for Aurora Home Learning Program before moving to teaching Grade 6 at Gabriola Elementary School (GES).
Joan loved nature, was a feminist, environmentalist, peace and social justice activist.
She was involved with the Nanaimo Women’s Resource Centre, the Nanoose Conversion Campaign, and served on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Strait Alliance. She was awarded a life-time membership with GSA. Joan understood the value of introducing youth to the wonders of nature and engaging them in the world around them by taking her students camping each spring at Saysutshun (formerly Newcastle Island). Over the years, many of her students have expressed that those camping trips were a highlight of their elementary school days. Joan was an avid kayaker, spending her summers playing and exploring the wilds of the BC coast.
Joan had a deep and enduring dedication to creating a world that is inclusive and welcoming for all. She was instrumental in making schools a safe place for students and teachers alike. She worked tirelessly with a small group of likeminded teachers to fight for the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ students in our school system and in supporting teachers to building welcoming and inclusive classrooms. Their efforts were instrumental in bringing safe and inclusive school policies to just about every school district in the province, developing resources for anti-bullying, the creation of Gay Straight Alliances, and curriculum aids for teachers that address issues of sexual orientation, gender identity, status of women and racism. Joan worked as a Social Justice Director at the BC Teacher’s Federation from 2008 – 2012 developing resources and trainings for teachers across the province to address social justice issues in their classrooms. The BC Teacher’s Federation honoured Joan for her work on Social Justice Issues with the Bob Rosen Social Justice Award in 2016.
Joan was a true visionary leader. She understood that leading meant guiding and encouraging others to bring their best selves forward, not forcing herself or her ideas. She worked to lift others up with her warm and welcoming manner. It is with these qualities that she lived her life and brought to her work with the Gabriola Historical and Museum Society.
After retiring from teaching, Joan volunteered with the museum, initially spear heading the construction of the accessible walkway and native plant walk. Joan then took on the role of engaging GES students and the Gabriola community in a process of re-envisioning the museum as a community resource for learning and engaging our diversity.
Joan was a visionary and devoted herself to creating space for all our island’s stories to be told.
Under her direction the Museum crafted numerous new exhibits and programs in conjunction with others, to name a few: Gabriola from the Ground Up, Beach Quest, Historical Bus Tours, Self-guided Island tours, Ancestral Village, Native Plant Trail, Truth and Reconciliation Day events, and the newly constructed Snuneymuxw Gallery and more.
Joan was also instrumental in acquiring the McRea Conservancy Lands as a resource for all of Gabriola to enjoy.
This past fall, Joan was honoured by Snuneymuxw Elders, C’tasi:a /Geraldine Manson and Laxiya/Dave Bodaly with a traditional Blanket Ceremony to honour and recognize her dedication to moving Truth and Reconciliation forward on Gabriola. Joan touched many lives, and her legacy will live on in this community and across the province for many years to come.
Joan passed peacefully in the ICU at Nanaimo Regional Hospital surrounded by family, friends and her beloved dog, Skeena. She leaves behind her loving partner, Cathy Welch, son Jamey Lauinger and partner Rachel McColm and precious granddaughter Arwen Joan, sisters Nancy Merrifield and her husband Tom Sones and son Michael Sones, Lesley Merrifield and husband Greg Weir, sister-in-law Dorothy Merrifield and niece Samantha (Martin) and nephews Ryan and Adam and their families; ex-husband Eric Lauinger and partner Sharon Rouleau, the youthful exuberance of her dog, Skeena and a large group of chosen family. She is predeceased by her parents, Betty Joan (Brown) and Lesley George, and brother Russel Merrifield.
A celebration of life will be held on Gabriola later this year (2025).
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests any donations in Joan’s honour to be made to the Gabriola Historical and Museum Society.
“A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
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