Obituary of Joanne Pyl

In Memory of Joanne Pyl  - 1958 - 2021

On January 30th, 2021, Joanne Pyl (nee de Vos),62, went to be with her Lord after "dancing with cancer" for 9 years.  Joanne is survived, and will be dearly missed, by her husband of 42 years, Nicholas (known as Rick) Pyl, Her five adult children - Amanda Pyl, Andrea (Chris) Roth, Shawn (Heather Duncan) Pyl, Kayla (Kevin) Warren, Jamie (Mel) Pyl, her five grandchildren - Ophelia and Mathias Roth, Ronan and Winry Warren and Boaz Pyl, four of her five sisters - Grietje de Jonge, Reeny Davison, Margie Escamilla, Wilma Manchester, and themany people that she “adopted” as sons and daughters.

Joanne was born in Ontario but, at the age of 2, was moved to California and lived there until she and her parents moved back to Ontario when she was 17. Joanne was the youngest of 6 girls, and is preceded in death by both her parents, both of Rick’s parents and one sister (Annelies de Jonge) who was also claimed by cancer. 

Joanne has always been passionate about helping people maintain health, which was a passion the Lord well used when her son, Shawn, was born with many allergies, and when her husband became ill and had a liver transplant 16 years into their marriage. Joanne was able to continue that passion her whole life, helping many people with the tricks, tips and medical expertise she gained over the years.

Joanne was also passionate about food, and spent much of her time ensuring that others got well-made, nutritious meals with healthy ingredients.  In 2003 she joined the Medeba Adventure Learning Centre staff (a Christian Camp located in West Guilford, Ontario) as their Head Cook, and even when she had to leave due to illness, her heart remained with the ministry that was being done there. She impacted many with her calm manner, easy smile, listening ear and ability to cook for many people without breaking a sweat. As phrased by a close friend, she ensured that people’s bellies and hearts were both full. She will be missed by countless campers and staff from all over the world who became like family to her and her family. She became well known for her comforting hugs, and never hesitated to open her home to staff who needed a home away from home. Her experience with food allergies from learning to feed her son Shawn when he was young helped her create a special diet program at Medeba that was one of the first of its kind and is much appreciated by all who come with food allergies, and which is continued to this day. 

A passage of scripture that Joanne cherished is Psalm 73. Verse 26 says:

“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever”

Many who saw Joanne in recent years didn’t realize that she was battling cancer due to her positivity and ever present smile. Her perseverance, resilience and constant reliance on God in the face of something so hard remains an inspiration.

Joanne will be missed by many. We look forward to seeing her smiling face again alongside our Lord.

As one of Joanne's passions was fulfilled in the kitchen, and specifically the Medeba kitchen, memorial donations in Joanne's name can be made to Medeba Adventure Learning Centre for the new kitchen that they are raising money to build. 

The link for that is as follows:

Medeba Adventure Learning Centre

Joanne’s family would like to be able to gather with as many people as possible to celebrate Joanne. Therefore, we will not be holding a service at this time; however, a celebration of life will be held for Joanne, hopefully later on this year, at a time when we can all gather together.