Obituary of Johanne Arlene Moffat

Johanne played her last card (ace of the trump suit) and left the table having bid and made a Grand Slam. At over 95, she had a quiet and peaceful departure from her residence at Columbia Forest Long Term Care in Waterloo. Born in Stratford, Ontario, Johanne was the second of four children of William C. (Bill) & O. (Olive) Myrtle Scorgie. Johanne is predeceased by her older brother, Lloyd (2017) and is survived by her sisters, Roma (Gaul) of Owen Sound, Enid (Young) of Watlington, Oxfordshire, U.K., and many generations of nieces and nephews. After graduating from high school, Johanne wanted to attend Stratford Normal School, but failed to pass the health requirement for teaching. The irony of this medical decision was not lost on her, especially as she lived to be such a great age. Instead of teaching, Johanne pursued a career as a Lab Technician, first at the NRC in Ottawa (doing war work) and later at the Botany Department at the U. of T. Johanne married Thomas Cross Moffat, (d.1998) a pharmacist, in 1954 and they first settled in Port Hope, Ontario. Later, they moved to a new house in the Beverly Hills development of Downsview and took over the IDA Drug Store in the Crang Plaza at the corner of Jane and Wilson. Johanne and Tom enjoyed traveling the world but they were also devotees of the Argonauts, the Leafs, the Toronto Maple Leaf Baseball team and the Blue Jays. Johanne was a woman of widely-varied interests and she had a very well developed love of the arts. Until she moved from Toronto in 2008, she had seasons tickets to the Opera, the Ballet, the Symphony Orchestra, the Art Gallery of Ontario and she played bridge regularly at the Kate Buckman’s Bridge Studio. In addition, Johanne took courses in visual arts and literature and she excelled as an artist in water colours and mixed media. She had a keen interest in Canadian Literature and poetry. She loved gardening and watching the birds. She was a friend to small animals and doted on her dog Leonard. During the 1980s she helped out in the ESL night school classes at Downsview Collegiate and she received several awards for her contributions to the Red Cross Blood Donor Society. Johanne was always up for an adventure, a mystery road trip, good food, and some kind of exotic cocktail. In 2008, Johanne decided that her wee house in Downsview was too much for her, and so she relocated to Waterloo into the Sunshine Centre at Luther Village. She was very much at home there and participated in art classes, exercises, bingo, cards, scrabble and anything else of interest. By 2019, diminishing health required that she seek long-term care and in July 2019, she moved to Columbia Forest. In her long life, Johanne exhibited her loving nature, her generosity, her sense of adventure and her kindness to all. She met the challenges of life with fortitude and grit. Johanne make the world a better place and all who knew her reveled in her sense of humour and intelligence. She was loved by many and she is deeply missed. A Celebration of Johanne’s life will be held at a later time. Cremation has taken place and interment in Toronto with her late husband will also take place at a later date. Condolences for the family and donations to The Lung Association - Ontario or RARE Charitable Research Reserve may be arranged through the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King Street South, Waterloo at www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445.