It is with great sadness that the family of Joanne Ford, age 59, of Sydney, announce her passing. Joanne passed suddenly at her home after a brief illness on Thursday, March 26, 2026.

Joanne was born July 14, 1966, to Henry Ford and the late Shirley (MacDonald) Ford of Seaview Drive in North Sydney. Joanne was the youngest of three children, with two older brothers, Paul and Gary. She studied music in her youth and became an accomplished pianist while also enjoying art through drawing portraits of wildlife, particularly birds, in her free time. After graduating from Memorial High School (Honours), she attended Dalhousie University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy. She spent nearly 20 years working as a pharmacist, practicing in pharmacies in Cape Breton, London ON, Yellowknife, and Calgary.

Later, she returned to school and received her Bachelor of Education degree from Cape Breton University to better support her children, Rebecca and Eric, in their own academics. This was a wonderful experience for her and she had great memories of professors and classmates at CBU. As a trained educator, she greatly encouraged her children academically and celebrated with them in their successes. She was always very proud of her children's accomplishments.

Joanne had a life-long interest in gardening which she shared with her mother and her son. She became very involved with several garden clubs in Cape Breton, starting with the North Sydney Garden Club. Her garden at her home on Old Kings Road in Sydney became well-known in the community as having an excellent collection of flowering perennials. Every day during gardening season, she would pour hours of her time and labour into her plants. She was very generous in sharing, trading, and donating plant materials from the garden. Joanne and Eric also entered competitions yearly at the Cape Breton Exhibition and won numerous awards for floral arrangements, photography, and pie-making.

That passion for gardening led to her becoming District 1 Director for the Nova Scotia Association of Garden Clubs and she was a founder, president, and driving force behind the creation of the Isle Madame Garden Club. For years she wholeheartedly committed herself to the clubs and was consistently involved until she began to shift towards her passion for knitting. She fell in love with Nordic patterns and quickly started producing high quality sweaters and garments for family and friends. These pieces were truly professional, and she gifted them consistently throughout the year, whether or not there was a special occasion. Her house was filled with piles of yarn, pattern calculations, and many projects left undone that her daughter plans to finish one day.

As a mother, Joanne loved her two children greatly and created many fun memories for them, especially around birthdays and holidays. She and her partner Carl also took them on several trips to Florida and Disneyworld in their early years and vacations in PEI every summer. She let the children have an array of pets while growing up, the most notable being Binky, Bear, and Lulu. Joanne was usually more interested in cats than dogs, but interestingly enough her greatest joy from a pet would eventually be given to her by Legend, an enormous German Shepard who became stuck to her like glue. Her love for Legend, much like her love for her partner and family, knew no bounds.

Family was always very important to Joanne. Her mother was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in 2003. Although it eventually went into full remission, the drug therapy had greatly weakened her heart. After a major heart surgery in 2014, her parents moved into Joanne’s home so she could assist with her mother’s recovery. She provided increasing levels of personal care as her health deteriorated until her passing in 2022. Over those final years, Joanne hosted many dinners for extended family to keep her parents connected with everyone. Acts of service was clearly one of her love languages. In recent years, she was particularly noted for gifting pies or entire meals to friends, relatives, and former in-laws.

Joanne had many who loved her dearly, but her partner Carl was head over heels. For 22 years he loved and supported her through unimaginable highs and lows. He committed himself fully to her and the children, and worked hard to ensure they had every opportunity available to them in life. The family went on countless trips, most often to go snowmobiling or to attend races across the Maritimes, of which Joanne loved to take many photos of. For years she would help complete custom kitchens for Carl’s business, Oakridge Cabinets & Millwork, and she accompanied him on many work trips. Joanne deeply loved Carl and his family and was very grateful for them being in her children’s lives.

Joanne is survived by her long-term partner Carl Andrews, father Henry Ford of North Sydney, brother Gary Ford (Johanne) of Saint John, NB, niece Nicole Ferris, brother Paul Ford (Elizabeth) of Leitches Creek, nephew Jonathan Ford, daughter Rebecca Lewis (Lennon Jerrott), son Eric Lewis, their father Robert Lewis of Calgary, and her close friend Lorna Williams. She was predeceased by her mother Shirley and nephew Scott Ford.

A visitation for Joanne will be held there at 2 – 4 pm on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at W. J. Dooley Funeral Home, 107 Pleasant Street, North Sydney. Online condolences may be sent to the tribute wall of the obituary at www.wjdooley.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to any of the garden clubs in Cape Breton. Funeral arrangements are under the care and direction of W.J. Dooley Funeral Home,