With great sadness, we announce the passing of Judy Redican (nee Hayes).
Judy was a loving and devoted wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend.

Born on April 20, 1939 in Toronto to Gladys McFaul and W. Gordon Hayes, Judy grew up in Montreal with her dear sister Beverley Lipfeld. After travelling through Europe, Judy moved to Toronto and married Jerome in 1962.

Judy deeply loved and was proud of her three beautiful, capable, and accomplished children – Celina, Christine, and Stephen (daughter-in-law Moni) – and all her grandchildren. She was loved and will be greatly missed by Eve, Zachary, Gillian, Meghan, and James. Judy was a loving aunt to her nephews and nieces, and very attached to her many cousins.

Judy and Jerome raised their family for four years in Accra and Lagos, then returned to Toronto, spending summers near Whitefish Falls, and later on Lake Joseph. Judy was a wonderfully creative and multi-talented homemaker. She was committed to volunteerism supporting such organizations as Whitney Public School, Korle Bu Hospital, Christ Church Deer Park, the Moore Park Ratepayers Association, and the Canadian Cancer Society.

Academically, Judy was awarded the Silver Medal for Speech Arts (Royal Conservatory of Music) in 1959. When her children were old enough to have lunch at school, Judy went back to school herself and earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Social Work and Certificate in Psychology of Human Relations at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) in 1987, and a Master of Social Work at the University of Toronto in 1988. She was proud of her profession and practiced as a social worker in medical and hospital settings, including the Princess Margaret Hospital, as well as living it in her daily life.

After retirement, Judy continued to pursue her spirit of adventure. Of her many excursions, most often with family and friends, highlights included Brandenburg Gate on the night of the reunification of Deutschland, and two weeks travelling up the Amazon and Solimões rivers across South America.

Judy remained interested in the world throughout her life, poring over the paper and catching the news daily. She also enjoyed following the British Royals, reading historical fiction, and was an avid fan of watching professional tennis. She was a long-standing patron of the National Ballet and loved attending the theatre. Personal relationships were paramount to Judy and she made and kept many lifelong friends. Lover of card games, scrabble matches, tea parties, special dinners, cottage breaks, and beach vacations, Judy’s life was full of cherished time with family and friends.

Judith Gwendolyn Hayes Redican died peacefully on August 26th, 2024 after a brief stay at Mount Sinai Hospital in the care of their wonderful medical staff.

A reception for family and friends will be held on Wednesday, September 4th from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at Mount Pleasant Cemetery following an interment service at 1:00 pm. Those who wish to attend the interment service are invited to meet at the grave. For a detailed map, please consult the cemetery map by clicking Media -> Documents near the top of this page.

Donations would be gratefully welcome to the Canadian Cancer Society in memory of Judy.