Janice Elizabeth Luinstra

Janice Elizabeth Luinstra (née Davidson), late of Kanata, Ontario, passed away on October 27, 2023 at the Queensway-Carleton Hospital in Ottawa after a period of declining health. She was 79 years old.

Janice was born on February 6, 1944 in Dorking, England. She moved with her family to North Bay, Ontario in 1954. After a move to London, Ontario, she worked as secretary to the Dean of Health Sciences at Western University. An expert typist, she typed husband Ed’s thesis perfectly. While holding a job and being mother of three children, she earned a degree from McMaster University in 1988. She adapted well during a two-year stint in the Netherlands, made friends, and learned some Dutch. After moving to Calgary, she worked as a Family Support Specialist at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. She volunteered for a period at the Distress Centre.

Janice was a devoted mother. She made friends easily and had a great sense of humor. She joked about being the shortest member of the family, calling herself “a little teapot short and stout.” Janice was quite the fan of the British Royal Family and was not ashamed to follow the gossip columns. She was a great cook and baked bread. Her hobbies included hiking, reading, collecting antique sewing machines, quilting and knitting. She gifted her many wonderful quilts to family and friends.

Janice is survived by her loving husband Edward Adrian Luinstra, her daughters Heather Ann Wilson (Rob Wilson) and Melanie Ruth Meeking (Dan Meeking), her son David Adrian Luinstra (Sarah Jones), and her six grandchildren Jacob Adrian Wilson, Eleanor Rose Wilson, Calvin Murray Meeking, Simon Edward Meeking, James Adrian Luinstra-Jones, and Oliver Quinlan Luinstra-Jones. Cremation has taken place. Janice will be honored at a private ceremony.