The old people would have said that Joann Pena-Ng Fan "was crying to leave this earth", as the heaviest downpour blew sprinkles into St Finbar's Roman Catholic Church, last week Saturday. Father Thomas Lawson, O.P. was celebrating Mass in Thanksgiving for the life of this woman who had worked in the Office of three former Prime Ministers. A civil servant for her entire life, Joann started off at the Treasury and went into retirement from Whitehall, having worked with Prime Ministers Dr Eric Williams, George Chambers and A.N.R.Robinson, now President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
A former Permanent Secretary, Dorothy Blackman, with whom she worked as an Administrative Officer in the Secretariat of Cabinet Ministerial Committees at Whitehall, remembers "Joann was a very efficient, hardworking and dedicated officer." Another colleague remembers Joann being happiest when she was put in charge of the Complaints Section at Whitehall, where she listened to the woes of the general public, such as, failure to get water and lights, and would counsel complainants and direct them towards help. While former Head of Work Permits in the Ministry of National Security, Peggy Grell, remembers Joann being at one time the representative from the Office of the Prime Minister to the Work Permits Committee.
In a very short welcome and thank you to all those who attended, and assisted in, his elder sister's funeral, Felix Pena spoke of the traits displayed from her early childhood of a loving and caring person. "She was a fierce loyalist, one who would defend everybody regardless, be it family or friends. And these traits grew as she got older, and was a great source of strength for her as she assumed the role of matriarch of the family, after the death of our mother five years ago."
Joann had a great love for Carnival and played mas for many years from as far back as Bobby Ammon's band. The tall and elegant model was a former entrant in the Jaycees Carnival Queen Show; was also a past President of the Jaycee Women's League; and served the Port of Spain Central Lions Club as partner-in-service to her late, beloved husband, Clyde, who passed away four years ago. The couple had one daughter, Candy, and four grandchildren.
Joann has left to mourn her siblings, Felix, Grace, Ian, Marilyn, Peter, Margaret, David and Don.