Ron Joyce, the Nova Scotia native who created a billion-dollar empire with the Canadian staples of Tim Hortons coffee and doughnuts, has died. He was 88.
His family said in a statement he died peacefully in his home in Burlington, ON, on Thursday with family at his side.
Ron Joyce was born and raised in Tatamagouche, N.S. His mother, who was widowed at the age of 23, raised Joyce and his two siblings in a home that had no water, no electricity and was heated with a wood-burning stove in the kitchen.
The first Tim Hortons opened in a converted garage in Hamilton in 1964.
In 1992, Joyce was named a member of the Order of Canada for his work with children. Joyce also created The Joyce Family Foundation, which is focused on making education more accessible through scholarships and bursaries.
He also donated to several Canadian universities, including Acadia University. It was here in 2016 that The Joyce Family Foundation dramatically increased financial support to visible minorities and students with a proven commitment to volunteerism. With the gift of $2.5 million in endowments, The Joyce Foundation Bursaries and The Clifford and Helena Oliver Bursaries are among the largest renewable awards available to students from Atlantic Canada and Ontario who choose to study at Acadia.