From worlds apart, a shared legacy

By Tim Ford

Joyce and Dedar Sihota came from vastly different worlds, but both believed in the power of education. This prompted them to start a fund at Vancouver Foundation for students with financial need. Their life and marriage were marked by purpose and service to community as Dedar, an Indian immigrant, became the first Indo-Canadian teacher in B.C.

“Notwithstanding their distant origins and different backgrounds, they met at the University of British Columbia (UBC), forming a lifelong bond,” said Don Sihota, K.C., one of their seven children.

Two paths of resilience led to each other 

The road to their meeting had its challenges. In 1935, 12-year-old Dedar left his mother in India to work with his father in lumber camps on Vancouver Island. At 13, he started first grade all while learning a new language. As he scrimped and saved to pay his own way through school, he and his father faced discrimination. Dedar graduated from high school at the age of 20 and when he started his freshman year at UBC, he was one of four students of Indian descent.

Joyce was born in a log cabin in northern Alberta as an only child to English and Canadian parents. As a teenager, she lost her father to cancer and moved into supportive housing with her mother. Despite these challenges, she was an excellent student that got an early start into UBC at 16, later graduating from its social work program. While in school, she worked at Camp Alexandra, which at the time ran summer programs for disadvantaged single mothers and children.

In 1946, Joyce spotted a handsome Dedar at the UBC library and decided to strike up a conversation, which started their seven-decade love story. They were only a year apart in age, although Joyce was already in her final year while Dedar was in his first. “The timing of their meeting was serendipitous,” said Don.

Two years later, they married. So-called “mixed marriages” were not common then, and they faced disapproval from both families. But this initial objection eventually turned to wholehearted acceptance.

When Dedar graduated in 1949, he applied for many jobs in business, but nobody would hire an Indian man. With Joyce’s encouragement, he returned to school for teacher training. Upon graduating from the program, he taught at Renfrew Elementary School in Vancouver where he became the first Indo-Canadian teacher in B.C.

Planning for their legacy 

Don’s family valued education, which inspired him and his brother Darshan to ask their father to create an endowment fund with his estate. As a “forever fund,” it would be a one-time gift that generated income for charities indefinitely. Dedar loved the idea.

The fund’s income is divided among two bursaries at UBC, one named for each spouse. Joyce’s bursary supports students entering the field of social work, while Dedar’s bursary is for those studying education.

​​Don​ carries on his parents’ legacy of giving through a separate fund managed by him and his partner, which supports educational charities, among others. “As a lawyer, I know that changing a will involves time and expense,” said Don. “Establishing this fund under Vancouver Foundation allows me much more flexibility to make later changes without added cost.”

A lasting impact for generations

Both Joyce and Dedar have now passed away, but their legacy is already helping students achieve their educational dreams. One such student is UBC education major Madison Lacoursiere, one of the first recipients of the fund’s education bursary.

“Receiving the bursary lifted a significant mental and financial burden,” said Lacoursiere. “As I pursue my own path in education, I am proud to carry Dedar’s legacy with me. Learning about Dedar’s experiences, from his early schooling in rural India to overcoming systemic barriers in Canada, was moving. His perseverance in the face of discrimination is inspiring.”

Don said his parents have taught him the importance of kindness and education. “Through this gift, my parents will touch people 10, 50, or even 100 years from now, and those people will go forward and touch other people. To me and my parents, that’s a true legacy,” he said.  

This story is featured in our 2025 Vancouver Foundation magazine. Read the magazine to explore other stories of courage, resilience, and generosity.