Testimony of Joan Promm
written by her son Robert Promm
 



 


Joan Edgar Basso was born on September 14, 1932, the elder by minutes of identical twins.  Her “younger” sister being Jean May. 

Joan grew up outside the small Ontario town of Sundridge during the Great Depression.  Her parents, Wes and Gladys, fed and sheltered their large family on a farm, and though poor financially, they always had plenty to eat.  Gladys had a practice of feeding whoever showed up at her door and this compassion was observed and adopted by her daughters.  Joan recalled that during those days she often had no shoes, but always enough to eat and so she knew she was better off than the town folk and that touched her, even as a child. 

Upon completing high school, Joan moved to Toronto to attend Canada Business College where she completed a secretarial course with highest honors.

In Toronto, Joan met and fell in love with a young immigrant from Estonia, Heino Promm.  They were married on January 20, 1951 and that union produced two sons - first Robert (Bob) and then two and a half years later Harold (Hal). 

Joan and Heino attended a Billy Graham crusade held in Toronto during September 1955.  Both Joan and Heino, directed by the Holy Spirit, went forward on the first night of the crusade and were soundly converted and resolutely faithful from that day.

In June of 1974 Joan was severely injured in a car accident, to the point the ambulance attendants thought that she was dead. However, the Lord had other plans for her. She was in a coma for over a week, paralyzed, she had collapsed lungs, broken ribs, arm, knee, collarbone, and her hip was out of joint.   The Dr. informed us that she would be “as a vegetable in the wheelchair”.  After about 5 or 6 weeks later, she came to full consciousness.  She then was moved to a rehabilitation centre where she needed to learn to walk, talk and many other things that are necessary in life.  By the end of September (a total of four months) she was released from the hospital and recovered, although remaining frail for the remainder of her days. 

Shortly after the car accident they found out that she had Bronchiectasis, which is a lung disease.  Prior to 2004 she also had pneumonia seven times, and the last two years of her life she needed more and more care as each month it seemed she was getting weaker. 

Her faith remained strong to the end.  She sought to help people in whatever small way that she could and always was prepared to “give an answer as to the faith that was in her”.  At the beginning of her last hospitalization she remained a strong testimony. 

Joan passed into the presence of her Lord on November 23, 2009.