Joanna Dutka

Professor Emeritus JoAnna Dutka died in Canmore, Alberta. Born in Canmore, the daughter of the late Joseph Anton and Agata Anna (Juskiw) Dutka, she was predeceased by her sister, Mary Nan,

and is survived by her nephew, Benjamin Conover and her

brother-in-law Derek Metcalf.

While growing up and completing her high school education in Canmore JoAnna developed enduring friendships and an affection for the mountains that never left her. She returned to Canmore and her community of friends whenever she could for summer jobs during

her undergraduate years and later to hike, scramble and fish on her annual summer vacations.

JoAnna earned her BA and MA degrees from The University of Alberta and her ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Music before coming to the University of Toronto for her doctorate in Medieval Studies. She joined the English Discipline Group at Erindale College (now UTM) in 1974 and remained with that faculty until her retirement. Her research focused on Medieval English drama, poetry, and music; children's literature, especially of the eighteenth century; and Canadian literature and visual art, especially from Western Canada. She had been editing the Records of Early English Drama (REED) volume on

Norwich to 1540

at the time of her death. Her publications range from the scholarly

Music in the English Mystery Plays (1980)

to

Kathleen Daly: Canmore Workings

(1987) and

Sacred Heart Church: A Centennial Celebration

(1993). Their breadth reflects her roots in both Toronto academia

and Canmore in the West—its mountains and lakes and enduring friendships.

JoAnna was an outstanding, much-admired teacher; her accomplishments in the classroom were recognized with the prestigious OCUFA Teaching Award. Her extensive administrative service to the University included the positions of Associate Director, PhD; Acting Director of the Graduate Department of English; and Associate Chair of English for Erindale College. After retirement (mandatory), she continued to teach undergraduates part-time, at Trinity College (U of T), where she became a Fellow and member of the Board of Trustees.

She also served on the Board of the Osborne Collection of Early Children's Books, Toronto Public Library.

She will be greatly missed by her many friends, colleagues, and students.

Funeral Mass was celebrated Thursday, January 19, 2023 in

the Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies in Canmore.

Interment followed in the Canmore Cemetery

Flowers gratefully declined. Friends wishing to remember JoAnna

are encouraged to make a donation to their favorite charity, in her memory.

The funeral mass was live streamed and archived for future viewing

by following this link

https://virtualmemorialgatherings.com/joannadutka

Services provided by Russ Reynolds and Bow River Funeral Service.