Obituary of Joseph Alfred Pickard

Family patriarch Joseph “Joe” Pickard passed away peacefully from natural causes in Ottawa on May 19^th at the age of 95 after a long and fulfilling life.

Born in Moncton, New Brunswick on April 8^th 1930, Joe was the son of Joseph and Audrey Pickard (née Gorbell). He was predeceased by his brother Robert in 1994 and is survived by his sisters Carol (Redfern) and Nancy (Lusk), who is still going strong together with her husband, Keith.

Joe grew up in Old Ottawa South and attended Hopewell Avenue Public School. After graduating from Ottawa Technical High School, he worked for The Ottawa Journal newspaper. In 1954, he married Joyce (Whitney), who passed away in 2024 after 70 years of happy marriage.

Joe was a proud alumnus of Queen’s University at Kingston, where he graduated in the class of Science ’57 (Mechanical Engineering), after which he became a Professional Engineer.

For over 30 years, Joe worked as an executive at the E.B. Eddy Company of Ottawa, ultimately rising to the c-suite. He was passionate about the company’s mission and instrumental in building its paper machines and production, including at Espanola, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan. His work ethic, intense drive and high standards were exemplary, and he loved what he did for a living.

Joe had a rewarding retirement, during which he and Joyce travelled around the world. He was an avid boater, going back to his younger days when he built a 30-foot cruiser named “Joyce” after his beloved wife.

Joe was the loving father of the late Steven Pickard and father-in-law to his wife Kelly (Monaghan); Jo Ann (Swanwick) and father-in-law to her husband Steve; and,Bob Pickard.

The devoted grandfather of Christopher, Matthew, Kenton and Ava, Joe was also a great-grandfather, to Zachary.

The Pickard family extends heartfelt gratitude to the nurses and staff at The Ravines, with special thanks to his palliative nurse, Kate MacKenzie of Bayshore Home Care, for all her incredible help and support for Joe during his final days.