It is with great sadness that we informed the NZ Ju Jitsu community of the passing of Joy Thompson on Friday 23rd October, 2020 at the age of 48, after her long battle with an aggressive cancer. Joy passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family and she is going to be missed and remembered by many.
Joy held the grade of 5th Dan Ju Jitsu from the school of Sakura Kan Ju Jitsu and is the wife of Shihan Alistair Thompson, 7th Dan. She had trained in Sakura Kan Jiu Jitsu since she was 16 years old and has a wealth of knowledge that she has passed on to 1000’s of students over her more than 30 years in the art.
She put up an inspiring fight, remaining hopeful and showed everyone that you can live with positivity and determination whilst fighting a terminal illness.
Our deepest condolences go to her husband Al, her sons Ben and Max and her family, her friends and the Sakura Kan school. She was well known in the martial arts community and it is a true loss for New Zealand Ju Jitsu.
A service to celebrate Joys life will be held at the Gee & Hickton’s Kingswood funeral home, Cairo Street, Upper Hutt, on 3rd November 2020 at 2.30pm.