Joy Butler
June 16, 1957 - September 16, 2019
Born in Cambridge, England in 1957, Joy did not let the obstacles of class and gender stop her from her mission of making a difference in the world. She was considered a visionary by many who knew her.
As a national basketball coach, she was a trailblazer with the employed methods and programs that she used.
In 1989, Joy moved to the United States where she completed her master’s degree and doctorate at Boston University.
After taking up a faculty position at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, Joy became one of the world’s best-known advocates for Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU). She chaired an international task force for many years.
In her last position as a professor at the University of British Columbia, Joy collaborated with international colleagues to continue to further the reach of TGfU. She researched ways TGfU can be used to teach democratic skills, which she addressed in her book, “Playing Fair”.
Joy delivered keynote speeches across the globe, published many books and articles, and received many awards, including the prestigious R. Tait Mackenzie Award, which honours Canadian Physical Educators who have effected major change in the field over long careers.
Joy practiced what she preached. Diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, she exercised daily throughout a long series of debilitating treatments and continued teaching until a few months before her death.
She will be missed by her family, her partner Dr. Claire Robson, her students and colleagues, and her friends in many community circles.