Joyce Konopski

Joyce was born on October 5, 1937, in Minnedosa Hospital to Jack and Freda (St. John) Thompson and grew up on the farm homesteaded by her grandpa, W.E. Thompson. Photos of Joyce as a little girl with her parents, her brother, Ron, cousins, and cats and dogs show a happy, idyllic childhood. She was lucky enough to have 4 doting and long-lived grandparents who remained a fond presence in her memories all the 88 years of her life.

Joyce’s family farm was west of Long Lake about 3 miles from Basswood. She went to school in a horse-drawn “van” over the frozen lake in the winters. On weekends, she and Ron would walk to one of the Robertson places on the lake to play hockey. Summers were spent with her many Thompson cousins on the farm, at the cottage in Sandy Lake and going on adventures with her Grandpa St. John.

At age 16, Joyce finished Grade 11 in Basswood and moved to Brandon for university. Her time at Brandon College had a special place in her heart. She attended reunions and had regular coffee dates and zoom calls with her classmates. In 1958, Joyce graduated and became a social worker, first in Estevan, Saskatchewan, and then in Winnipeg. After a few years, she took a break and spent 6 months travelling in Europe. When she returned to Manitoba, she got a degree in education at the University of Manitoba and taught French in Winnipeg. In 1965, she took a short-term assignment in Sandy Lake where Stan Konopski was the principal. It wasn’t until Stan ran into Joyce’s mom, Freda, in 1968 and happened to ask about Joyce that they began dating.

Joyce and Stan were married in 1971 and were soon joined by Stan’s sons from a previous marriage, Patrick and Michael. Their daughter, Carolyn and son, Joseph followed. In 1974, Joyce and Stan returned to Basswood and bought a farm 2 miles from where Joyce grew up. At that point, Joyce had spent 15 years as a career woman, and now found herself with 3 children, diapers to wash and no indoor plumbing during the first months on the farm. She threw herself into being a parent, fixing up the house, growing a garden, and cooking and baking enough to feed everyone that showed up for meals. The farmhouse looked out over a slough (now known as Buchanan’s Lake) that drew all sorts of wildlife. Joyce always made time to stop and share with her family the wonder she felt seeing deer, great blue herons, owls, geese, ducks, swans, and pelicans.

Joyce returned to teaching French in 1983, first in Sandy Lake and then in Erickson. She worked hard to regain her proficiency in French, spending part of a summer away from the farm in an immersion program in St. Boniface.

In 1998, Joyce and Stan sold their beloved farm and moved to Brandon where they made sure they had a big yard for a garden. Joyce stepped back and let Stan play a bigger role in managing the garden even though she didn’t always appreciate his approach to letting volunteer plants (especially dill) take over. In retirement, Joyce and Stan finally had the chance to travel and took many trips in their camper van to visit Carolyn and Joe in Edmonton, Corpus Christie, and Ottawa. Most of all, they loved travelling to experience the history and landscape of the Canadian and US prairies.

Joyce was diagnosed with cancer in 1988. Several years later she joined the Waves of Hope, a Brandon-based group of breast cancer survivors that paddled a dragon boat. Joyce had never considered herself an athlete but enjoyed the new physical challenge and camaraderie of being on a team. Her post-retirement summers were filled with weekly paddling practices at Minnedosa Lake and dragon boat festivals across Canada. The Waves of Hope also kept active in the winters and were a major part of Joyce’s life in Brandon.

Joyce enjoyed many life-long friendships starting from her birth and childhood in Basswood, the class of ’58 from Brandon University, as a social worker and teacher, her time as a farm woman in Basswood, and the Waves of Hope.

Joyce enjoyed music throughout her life. As a child, she played piano and sang in talent competitions with her cousin Anna-Gay (Thompson) Stewart. Later, she played the organ at Basswood and then Cadurcis United Church. After she moved to Brandon, she sang in the choir at First Presbyterian Church until 2020 and enjoyed many concerts at Brandon University’s school of music.

Joyce was the best mom and grandma. She treated her children as little people with thoughts and feelings that mattered. She listened, had true empathy, and taught her children to think about what it’s like to be in another person’s shoes.

While in hospital for a minor ailment, Joyce fell and sustained a catastrophic brain injury. She spent six days in a coma before passing away peacefully.

Joyce was predeceased by many people she loved: her parents and grandparents, her stepson, sisters- and brothers-in-law, her aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, and so many treasured pets.

She is lovingly remembered by her husband, Stan; brother, Ron Thompson; children Carolyn (Niall) and Joe (Michelle), stepson Michael, grandchildren Jack and Leo (Cronin), Kort, Kaden and Lexi (Konopski) and many dear friends.

Joyce’s family would like to thank the Angels in the Palliative Care Unit of the Brandon Regional Health Centre whose compassionate care and support eased mom’s passage to her final rest. A celebration of life will happen at a later date.

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