A young woman’s chance decision to move to Bermuda and ultimately forge ahead in the property business saw her establish herself as one of the island’s shrewdest and most trusted realtors.

Joy Lusher, who arrived in Bermuda in 1953 as a 22-year-old with nothing but £60 and a suitcase, also distinguished herself for charitable service.

Mrs Lusher was born in 1931 in Southampton, England, to George and Olive Forsdike. The family moved to Sidcup, in what was still Kent, when she was 8. It went on to form part of the London Borough of Bexley in Greater London.

Described as an outgoing child, Mrs Lusher also showed an altruistic drive from early.

“It seemed that most of my life I have been raising money for various causes,” Mrs Lusher recalled in a biography.

“At age 10, while living in England, my contribution to the war effort was by piling all my books into my doll’s pram and trundling it around the neighbourhood charging three pence per week for borrowing from my library.

“I sent the money to Winston Churchill’s wife, and she sent me a very appreciative letter of thanks.”

She also had a natural aptitude for business. Mrs Lusher was briefly employed as a secretary before venturing into her property career at real estate renting offices and showrooms in London.

She ended up sailing to Canada at 21 after breaking off her engagement to a Canadian man, opting to return the ring.

On the ship, Mrs Lusher encountered Bermudians, who encouraged her to keep travelling — and consider giving Bermuda a try.

Once in Canada, she raised enough money through secretarial work to buy a one-way ticket to the island.

She told The Royal Gazette in a 2022 interview: “It was a different world for me.

“I arrived at night and there were all the night noises. There were crickets and frogs. I thought, oh my God, I don’t think I will ever sleep with all this noise.”

She started work as a secretary by day and as a sales clerk by night for Calypso’s in the Hamilton Princess Hotel. She had three children through a marriage that ended in divorce.

Hired by Bermuda Realty, Mrs Lusher surprised her employers by making a sale in her first week.

After carving out her own niche in the industry, she founded Joy Lusher Estate Agent in 1966. Her personality and work ethic helped to lift the business into an enduring success.

She recalled: “I was honest, which is terribly important. I would go out of my way to really figure out what the client was looking for.

“I was not the type of person to show them everything that was out there.”

Her roster of clients came to include prominent figures such as the music and film mogul Robert Stigwood, whose property at Wreck Hill in Sandys she acquired.

Thanks to the involvement of her daughters, Sue and Liz, it became an all-woman business.

Mrs Lusher also credited women with typically being the one in a family to make the final decision on the purchase of a home.

More than anything, she ascribed her success to perseverance.

In a 1989 interview with the Bermuda Sun, she was asked for advice to women in business.

“Hang in there,” she said. “Anyone who works hard gets to make it eventually.”

Mrs Lusher retired from real estate in 1996, and ramped up her philanthropy in later years out of a social conscience with her sociable, outgoing nature.

She said: “I live life to the fullest by keeping involved, because it keeps me young in spirit.”

In 2013, she was awarded by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs in recognition of her service to the island’s seniors. She was deeply involved for decades in the running of the Seniors Learning Centre, later the Lifelong Learning Centre, at Bermuda College, including running a travel club.

Mrs Lusher was given the Medal of Grace and Fortitude by the Hamilton Rotary Club last year for her lengthy service.

Other causes included fundraisers at her home in support of the Friends of Hospice charity.

She began a poetry club where members took turns hosting dinners and sharing verse. Mrs Lusher was also an animal lover, devoted to her many pets over the years.

She was predeceased in 2024 by Nicholas Lusher, her son.

She is survived by her daughters, Liz and Sue Lusher, daughter-in-law Jamie Lusher, with her children Ben and Chloe Lusher, and granddaughter Christie Carter, with great-granddaughter Ellie Carter.

A memorial service is planned for January 17 at St John’s Church, followed by a gathering to celebrate her life at her home in Point Shares, Pembroke. A formal notice will be posted in the Gazette, her family said.

Joy Lusher, a leading realtor in Bermuda acknowledged for community service, was born on May 4, 1931. She died in December 2025, aged 94