Obituary of Joan Kilgour

Joan Kilgour always thought that she was a lucky woman and, for the most part, she was right.

Until her luck gave out, she enjoyed the fullness and beauty of life: her family, friends, travel, cooking and entertaining, reading, flowers, her home, and sharing her love of the French language. She died on Monday 22 December 2025, peacefully at home with her husband and children by her side.

Joan is survived by her beloved husband Marc, their daughters Valerie (Andrew) and Julia (Hazel), her sister Ruth, sister-in-law Connie (Peter), brother-in-law Steve, and her dear nieces, Susan and Jocelyn, and nephews, David and Jeff. She was predeceased by brother-in-law Delbert and sister-in-law Kathy.

Joan was born in Morden, Manitoba, in 1941 to Minnie (née Leatherdale) and Andrew Weber. She grew up in Madsen, a remote mining community near Red Lake in northwestern Ontario, where she found opportunities to nurture her love of music, reading, teaching, building friendships, and learning.

Joan fell in love with the French language in Grade 9 and that love never left her. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in French from Carleton University in 1962 and then worked as ‘assistante d’anglais’ in Semur-en-Auxois, Burgundy, France, in 1962-63. In 1964, she completed her Master of Arts in French from McMaster University and took a job at Wilfrid Laurier University (then Waterloo Lutheran University) as head of the French House Residence. Within a few years, she transitioned to full-time faculty; with panache and élan, she taught French literature, conversation, and grammar until she retired in 2007.

After her year in Burgundy in her early 20s, Joan returned to France as often as she could, visiting the friends and places that meant so much to her. She adored the language, food, history, and culture. At Laurier, she met Marc Kilgour, a professor of Mathematics, and they married in 1978. Subsequent trips to France, including holidays, sabbatical leaves, and academic work, stretched through the rest of her life, and they became family visits after daughters Valerie and Julia were born. Together, Joan and Marc saw much of the rest of the world together, enjoying adventures to New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, China, and many other places.

Following retirement, Joan volunteered as a French and English tutor in and around the Laurier community. She relished hot summer days spent working in the garden, often followed by a glass of wine on the porch. Joan regularly attended concerts with friends and family, frequently at Laurier, and delighted in her book club, thoroughly enjoying both the discussions and the friendships. She was an avid student of Laurier’s Lifelong Learning program, supplementing her knowledge of European history with courses on poetry, opera, and evolution.

Joan approached life with humour, practicality, and appreciation of beauty. She was dedicated to those she loved. She lived her life peacefully and joyfully, and felt lucky to end her days serenely, enjoying the bright sun and colours of autumn 2025 in the home she loved. Decisive and dignified to the last, Joan’s death, like her life, was simple, honest, and full of love.

Special thanks to the Ontario Health at Home Palliative Care Team, whose nurses, doctors, PSWs, and support staff provided attentive and gentle care. Merci beaucoup.

Joan’s family requests donations in lieu of flowers to the Canadian Cancer Society. A celebration of Joan’s life for all those who loved her will be held at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, 171 King St. S., Waterloo on Saturday, January 17, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.