Ronald Vaughan Joyce, (October 19, 1930 – January 31, 2019) was a Canadian entrepreneur and billionaire. He co-founded the Tim Hortons doughnut chain as Tim Horton's partner and first franchisee in 1964. After the death of Tim Horton, Ron Joyce was instrumental in establishing the Tim Horton Children's Camps and the Tim Horton Children's Foundation. He has received many awards and honours for his success in business and his extensive philanthropy. He was named a member of the Order of Canada in 1992 in recognition of his dedication to underprivileged children and youth. Early life and career Born on October 19, 1930 and raised in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, Joyce moved to Hamilton, Ontario, at age 16, to seek better living conditions than those of post-war Nova Scotia. He worked a number of odd jobs until eventually enlisting in the Royal Canadian Navy, in 1951, where he was trained as a wireless operator. In 1956, Joyce joined the Hamilton Police Service and served as a police officer until 1965. Once, while on patrol with Colin Millar (who would later become Chief Constable of the Hamilton Police Service), he responded to a distress call and delivered a baby. Joyce decided to get involved in the newly emerging food-service industry and, in 1963, purchased a Dairy Queen franchise in Hamilton. He wanted to open up another Dairy Queen, but the city declined licensure for a second location. Joyce subsequently decided to open a coffee shop when he saw a "For Sale" sign posted on a store. Joyce entered a franchise partnership with Horton in 1967, and reportedly wrote "You must be kidding!" in reference to the clause of the one-page franchise agreement requiring rent in advance. After Horton's 1974 death in an auto accident, Joyce purchased Horton's share for about $1 million, and assumed control of the full Tim Hortons franchise. Joyce hired a management team and began to franchise the company throughout the late 1970s until the 1990s. During the early 1990s, Danny Murphy, a franchise owner of both Tim Hortons coffee shops and Wendy's fast food restaurants in Prince Edward Island wanted to combine both franchises under one roof in a new development in Montague. Murphy asked Joyce and Wendy's founder, Dave Thomas, to be present for the opening. In 1995, Wendy's and Tim Hortons merged and Joyce became the combined company's largest shareholder; the firms later separated. Retirement Joyce eventually