CLARKE, Joyce Marguerite Sisson Clarke

In Loving Memory of Joyce Marguerite Sisson (nee Clarke)
Passed away peacefully at the age of 100 at the Kingsway Place retirement home in Aurora, Ontario on November 26, 2025.
Joyce, who lived a full and active life, was the loving daughter of Norman and Evelyn Clarke, nee Hickton, of Toronto, sister of Noreen Hunwicks, nee Clarke, deceased, wife of Bernard (Bern) Sisson of West Guildford, Ontario, who predeceased her in 2006, beloved mother of only son Craig, grandmother to Craig’s spouse Lynn and Craig’s children, Carleigh and Reid of Toronto, great-grandmother to Carleigh’s children, Weston and Audrey, and aunt to her nieces, Audra Hunwicks of Montreal and Donna Hunwicks-Hopper of Dieppe, New Brunswick. She was also aunt to many nieces and nephews of Bern’s extended Sisson family in West Guilford, Ontario.
Joyce was born on July 25, 1925, in the Toronto neighbourhood of Humber Bay and grew up on Guthrie Ave. She did her Senior Matriculation at Mimico High School and worked for years as a secretary and executive assistant at the head office of the Robert Simpson Company department store in Toronto. She was an avid and talented singer who sang with big bands at many venues including the Palais Royale on Lakeshore Blvd. and the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. During World War II she worked as an aircraft spotter in the Canadian Women’s Auxiliary Air Force where she attained the rank of Corporal.
Joyce met her future husband Bernard in Haliburton, Ontario where her parents had a vacation home. They were married in Toronto in June of 1952 and Craig was born in April of 1954 in Kingston, Ontario. Bern worked for General Motors Acceptance Corporation and was posted to several cities in Ontario over the ensuing years. The family moved from Kingston to Smith Falls, Pembroke, Ottawa, North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Peterborough and finally settling back in Toronto in 1978. Joyce sang in many church and community choirs, most notable being the Choralaires group in Sudbury where she particularly loved soloing in the group’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah. She also sang and soloed for many years in various choirs in Toronto.
Joyce loved to travel and was most happy on a trip with Bern. Over the years they travelled to Australia, Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, much of Europe, North Africa and the British Isles. They regularly attended Bern’s annual RAF 100 Bomber Squadron reunions in England. Joyce continued to attend the reunions solo after Bern’s death in 2006. Joyce continued to travel on her own making regular trips to Florida, Arizona and England.
Joyce and Bern cherished their Haliburton roots and had special times at their cottage on Paradise Lake, visiting their son’s cottage on Kennisis Lake and of course having many joyous times over the years with Bern’s extended family in West Guilford.
It was a special moment on her 100th birthday to receive congratulations from King Charles and Queen Camilla, Governor General of Canada, Prime Minister of Canada, Premier of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and a presentation by the Mayor of Aurora, Tom Mracic.
Joyce will be greatly missed by her grandchildren Carleigh and Reid, in particular Grandma’s annual Christmas shopping sprees at the Eaton Centre in Toronto followed by a steak dinner at the Keg Mansion.
Joyce’s life will be celebrated at a service at St. Georges Anglican Church in Haliburton, Ontario on a date to be determined in the spring of 2026.