Joan Ryan
Born in August 1943 the middle child of a family of seven Joan moved from St. Polycarpe, Quebec to St. Raphael’s in 1948. After high school she began bowling and excelled at it, having the local high-triple and high-single average at the time at the local bowling alley.
In 1971 she was asked by a friend to go to the Curling Club to throw a few stones. Thinking that curling was for “older people,” she showed up in high heels and couldn’t do a proper delivery. But, she was hooked on curling, an addiction which has spanned almost 40 years.
Her athletic ability and her passion for the game quickly led her into competitions both inside and outside the club. During the years Joan has led many women’s teams to club championships. She has also competed in many Ontario Curling Association and the Royal Caledonian Curling Club events.
In 1995 with Alexandria hosting the Lady Gilmore Mixed Division, Joan was on the team skipped by Kaye Hay (with France and Gilles Hurtubise) that won the Centre Mixed Trophy against teams as far away as Brownsburg.
In 1996, she skipped her Alexandria team (Peggy Lafave, Sue Derby and Helen Macleod) to win the Ford Pratt Grand Aggregate Shield of the Ottawa Ladies Crystal Pebble Bonspiel, a week long event with over 100 teams competing, after having won the Royal Trust Event trophy earlier in the same day. This remarkable accomplishment was reflected in The Ottawa Citizen’s Sports headline the following day, “Ryan’s rink rocks the Pebble.”
Joan also became an energetic volunteer in the club, pouring that same energy into work off the ice, spending untold hours organizing bonspiels and running kitchen events to help fundraise for the club. In 1978-80 she was elected Ladies president and Club President in 1985-87. Over the years she has served in just about every club position.
Joan set the bar high in her dedication to the club, a dedication that was recently acknowledged when a friend and fellow curler nominated her as the “Outstanding Sportswoman of the Year” at the 1st Annual Journée de la Femme held recently in Alexandria. In her nomination, Joan was referred to as “being the heart and drive “of the club, a remarkable woman, a role model” who inspires her friends and curling mates to contribute their best efforts to the club and their fellow curlers.
Joan’s composure, a quality she was recognized for as a skip, has been tested recently as she has battled health issues having had two operations in 2008 to correct aneurysms behind her eyes. While on the mend from these, she has also had knee surgery. While these operations have kept Joan off the ice for several years now, she is looking forward to returning to curling this fall. A fellow curler, Susan Derby, notes that these past two years at the club have been quieter with her absence; she can feel the difference in the atmosphere without Joan.
Outside the club, Joan plays golf at least once a week and has also been a member of the St. Raphael’s Ruins Committee for the past 15 years as it fundraises to restore the National Historic Site.
Joan and her husband John lived in Alexandria for many years where they owned Ryex Holdings, a business they sold in 1995. This November they will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. They have two daughters, Charlene and Debbie, both of whom were junior curlers. Charlene went to the provincial play downs in Ottawa in the late 90s. They also have 3 grandchildren.
They have lived in South Lancaster now for more than 25 years, but when they moved Joan never considered switching clubs even though there is one close to her home. As Joan explains, the Alexandria Curling Club “is my home away from home, and this is where I am among my dearest friends.”
Joan Ryan passed away on December 10th, 2012.
