It is with great sadness and sense of loss that we inform you of the passing of Joan Shain. Joan was a valued member of the Custodial Services team for over 12 years since July 2009.
Joan will be remembered for her dedication to the university, taking multiple buses each day to get to and from UBC from Maple Ridge where she resided, often making the journey late at night and arriving on campus hours before her shift. Joan was known for cycling around the campus daily and was a friendly familiar face to many in the AMS Student Nest during the day.
Joan enjoyed nature and took a keen interest in her nutritional health, as evidence by the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables Joan brought to campus each day. Joan had a diverse set of interests—one of them being building a ‘tiny house’ on the island post retirement, after attending multiple seminars on the topic—and was very fond of animals and liked to discuss her pets with her peers.
Joan spent much of her career at UBC working in the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) building. Prior to joining UBC, Joan attained a diploma in early childhood education.
Joan will be missed by the Custodial Services team and all the staff and colleagues she’s worked with. Please keep Joan’s family in your thoughts as they go through this difficult time. Information on how we can pay our respects and condolences will be shared as we learn more from Joan’s family.
If you need any support in processing this sad news, please reach out to our Employee Assistance provider, Lifeworks and contact the LifeWorks Care Access Centre which is available 24 hours, seven days a week, at 1-800-387-4765 or visit ubc.lifeworks.com (Note: Use University of British Columbia as your organization).
John Metras,
Associate Vice-President, Facilities