Reiko Joyce Pearlstone

With sorrow, we announce the passing of Reiko Joyce Pearlstone (née Kamitakahara), aged 82, of North Saanich, British Columbia, who passed away peacefully on September 8, 2026, at Melville Hospice in Surrey, British Columbia surrounded by her close family.

Joyce was born on July 13, 1944, during World War 2 in the Japanese internment camp at Slocan, British Columbia to Tetsuo and Natsuko Kamitakahara. She lived a remarkable life of intellectual achievement, professional success, and care for her family as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend.

After graduating from the University of Toronto in 1967 with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology and Biochemistry, Joyce pursued graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, and subsequently at the University of British Columbia where she earned her Ph.D. As a biochemist in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta, Joyce built a distinguished career in academia, conducting medical research, lecturing, and publishing many groundbreaking works in notable scientific journals.

In 1971, Joyce married Paul Stephan Maurice Pearlstone. Together, they made their home in the Windsor Park neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, near the University where they both worked. It was there where they raised their two sons, David and Stephan, until the time of her retirement in 2000. Joyce and Paul went on to relocate to North Saanich, British Columbia near her sister, Grace. She lived the remainder of her years on the coast with Paul in a beautifully unique Japanese and West Coast inspired house built into the shorefront hillside of Deep Cove. The house and garden, which she had personally designed and architected, was impressive for all visitors they welcomed.

Joyce will be lovingly remembered by her husband, Paul; her sons, David and Stephan; her brother, Noboru Kamitakahara; her sister, Grace Kamitakahara; and the many family members, friends, colleagues, and students whose lives she enriched over the years.

A Celebration of Life for Joyce will be held in North Saanich at a later date.