In memory of
Joyce Beverley Mason
April 29, 1929 - August 12, 2026
Joyce Beverley Mason
April 29, 1929 - August 12, 2026
A Trailblazer
It is with great sadness that the family of Joyce Mason announces her passing on August 12, 2026, surrounded by family and love.
Joyce leaves behind her children, Beverley Lerner (Chris Sas), Cheryl Mason-McEwen (Rob McEwen) and Darren Mason (Janine Mason); her grandchildren, Alex McEwen (Sarah Turner), Sam McEwen (Amy Norgaard), Joseph Mason and Nicole Mason; and her great-grandchildren, Maxwell McEwen and Maverick McEwen. Well into her 98th year of living, Joyce enjoyed a beautiful life. An excellent team of wonderful caregivers was lovingly managed by Jennifer Ortiz; her special helpers included Jocelyn Almoite, Annie Maramba and Loreta Nispiros, along with an exceptional palliative care team. Joyce was happy in her own home and her garden. Our hearts are full of gratitude to all who made Joyce's care so magical.
Joyce was born in Toronto on April 29, 1929, just before the Great Depression. Her parents, Wallace and Janet Pedlar, welcomed her, and a year later her sister, Margaret. As for most young people of that time, the Church played a big role in her life as a place of community. Always fascinated by her father's stories about his work and what was important in the news, Joyce was driven to become successful. After moving to Ottawa, while in high school, she managed to get a part-time job in the stockroom at Two Sisters Boutique. The owners recognized her capabilities as well as her passion and gave her more and more responsibility. After high school she took secretarial studies but knew she wanted to be in fashion. She moved to an important store on Rideau Street called Shaffer's and rose quickly through the ranks. Before long she became the buyer, and then the manager. An early marriage to her first love, Darcy Fay, at age 20 quickly resulted in the birth of baby Beverley when Joyce was 21. Somehow Joyce managed to keep her job at a time when very few women were doing so. She was strong-willed and eager to achieve. She loved the fashion world and wasn't going to give it up. Nine years later another baby, Cheryl, was born. While Ottawa was a good place for a ladies' wear shop, it was not where she would do her buying. She had to travel to Montreal and Toronto to see the clothing lines and make her purchase orders. That travel led her to meet the man who would become her second love.
Gary Mason would capture her heart, and soon after their marriage, when Joyce was 38, a baby boy was born: Samuel Darren Mason.
With incredible focus and determination, Joyce truly was a woman of great substance. Having moved to Toronto, Joyce longed to open her own clothing store. So began an iconic chain of stores called The Village Shop. Joyce wanted to offer women beautiful clothing from Europe. She would travel to the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy to find beautiful fabrics and excellent tailoring. This was during the 1970s and 1980s, when women were entering the workforce in droves. Women needed to dress well to compete in the business world, and Joyce knew just what they needed. The chain grew to 15 stores and thrived through three decades. All three of her children joined her in the business to help it expand and flourish. In the 1990s, a shift in the economy along with a need for reinvention saw The Village Shop give way to a new enterprise, Andrews Department Store for Women. This was Joyce's proudest moment: to see her vision grow and blossom into a shopping experience for women. Today Andrews is owned by her son Darren, and there are five locations in the Toronto area. She was so proud of how her children continued to realize her dream.
As recently as a week ago, Joyce was elegantly dressed, hair coiffed, enjoying visitors to her home and garden — a classic lady, always looking her very best. In her retirement years she enjoyed her home in Palm Beach and taking cruises around the world with good friends. She loved her standing reservations at Scaramouche to meet up with her friends. Joyce was a champion of the human spirit, lovingly caring for friends in their time of need. She loved family gatherings and was an excellent cook. She always supervised the Thanksgiving turkey, or how long the halibut needed to be in the oven. Her homemade pies and shortbread cookies were always for special occasions. Food was love for Joyce.
While Joyce was never boastful about her achievements, she was truly a trailblazer for women. All who knew Joyce knew she was the real deal — smart, capable and charming. People in the industry have enormous respect for her business acumen. Very few women have built businesses in the fashion industry that sustained for over 50 years, and Joyce was most definitely a leader.
In her later years she enjoyed supporting cardiac health research at UHN. Living with atrial fibrillation, she supported research to develop a biological pacemaker at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute.
A private funeral for the family is planned. A celebration of life for Joyce will be announced in the fall, when family and friends will gather to remember Joyce with their memories and stories.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Joyce Mason would be appreciated by the family, supporting UHN Foundation.
Please visit Joyce Mason Memorial | Make a donation - UHN Foundation
or call 416-603-5300.
April 29, 1929 - August 12, 2026
A Trailblazer
It is with great sadness that the family of Joyce Mason announces her passing on August 12, 2026, surrounded by family and love.
Joyce leaves behind her children, Beverley Lerner (Chris Sas), Cheryl Mason-McEwen (Rob McEwen) and Darren Mason (Janine Mason); her grandchildren, Alex McEwen (Sarah Turner), Sam McEwen (Amy Norgaard), Joseph Mason and Nicole Mason; and her great-grandchildren, Maxwell McEwen and Maverick McEwen. Well into her 98th year of living, Joyce enjoyed a beautiful life. An excellent team of wonderful caregivers was lovingly managed by Jennifer Ortiz; her special helpers included Jocelyn Almoite, Annie Maramba and Loreta Nispiros, along with an exceptional palliative care team. Joyce was happy in her own home and her garden. Our hearts are full of gratitude to all who made Joyce's care so magical.
Joyce was born in Toronto on April 29, 1929, just before the Great Depression. Her parents, Wallace and Janet Pedlar, welcomed her, and a year later her sister, Margaret. As for most young people of that time, the Church played a big role in her life as a place of community. Always fascinated by her father's stories about his work and what was important in the news, Joyce was driven to become successful. After moving to Ottawa, while in high school, she managed to get a part-time job in the stockroom at Two Sisters Boutique. The owners recognized her capabilities as well as her passion and gave her more and more responsibility. After high school she took secretarial studies but knew she wanted to be in fashion. She moved to an important store on Rideau Street called Shaffer's and rose quickly through the ranks. Before long she became the buyer, and then the manager. An early marriage to her first love, Darcy Fay, at age 20 quickly resulted in the birth of baby Beverley when Joyce was 21. Somehow Joyce managed to keep her job at a time when very few women were doing so. She was strong-willed and eager to achieve. She loved the fashion world and wasn't going to give it up. Nine years later another baby, Cheryl, was born. While Ottawa was a good place for a ladies' wear shop, it was not where she would do her buying. She had to travel to Montreal and Toronto to see the clothing lines and make her purchase orders. That travel led her to meet the man who would become her second love.
Gary Mason would capture her heart, and soon after their marriage, when Joyce was 38, a baby boy was born: Samuel Darren Mason.
With incredible focus and determination, Joyce truly was a woman of great substance. Having moved to Toronto, Joyce longed to open her own clothing store. So began an iconic chain of stores called The Village Shop. Joyce wanted to offer women beautiful clothing from Europe. She would travel to the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy to find beautiful fabrics and excellent tailoring. This was during the 1970s and 1980s, when women were entering the workforce in droves. Women needed to dress well to compete in the business world, and Joyce knew just what they needed. The chain grew to 15 stores and thrived through three decades. All three of her children joined her in the business to help it expand and flourish. In the 1990s, a shift in the economy along with a need for reinvention saw The Village Shop give way to a new enterprise, Andrews Department Store for Women. This was Joyce's proudest moment: to see her vision grow and blossom into a shopping experience for women. Today Andrews is owned by her son Darren, and there are five locations in the Toronto area. She was so proud of how her children continued to realize her dream.
As recently as a week ago, Joyce was elegantly dressed, hair coiffed, enjoying visitors to her home and garden — a classic lady, always looking her very best. In her retirement years she enjoyed her home in Palm Beach and taking cruises around the world with good friends. She loved her standing reservations at Scaramouche to meet up with her friends. Joyce was a champion of the human spirit, lovingly caring for friends in their time of need. She loved family gatherings and was an excellent cook. She always supervised the Thanksgiving turkey, or how long the halibut needed to be in the oven. Her homemade pies and shortbread cookies were always for special occasions. Food was love for Joyce.
While Joyce was never boastful about her achievements, she was truly a trailblazer for women. All who knew Joyce knew she was the real deal — smart, capable and charming. People in the industry have enormous respect for her business acumen. Very few women have built businesses in the fashion industry that sustained for over 50 years, and Joyce was most definitely a leader.
In her later years she enjoyed supporting cardiac health research at UHN. Living with atrial fibrillation, she supported research to develop a biological pacemaker at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute.
A private funeral for the family is planned. A celebration of life for Joyce will be announced in the fall, when family and friends will gather to remember Joyce with their memories and stories.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Joyce Mason would be appreciated by the family, supporting UHN Foundation.
Please visit Joyce Mason Memorial | Make a donation - UHN Foundation
or call 416-603-5300.