Hope, Luke and Madeline-

My deepest condolences and prayers are with all of you . I met your mom at the University of Illinois in 1978. She was one of the kindest souls I have ever met. I wish I could have been at the Celebration of Life, but my wife and I are currently in Germany visiting with her family. Hope today was everything you wished it would be. Wishing all of you the best always!

Dr. Joe Gliksman 

We met Joyce and Mark many years ago at church and got to become acquainted through our children, at that time.  Over those years, Joyce and I were in the thick of parenting pre-teenagers and teenagers and had our hands full. Even in the busyness of life, Joyce always found time to chat and catch up. Our brief coffee dates were such a treat!

Our friendship and our bond became closer and tighter as Luke began attending youth group and home church at our house, where he would stay and hang out until the wee hours, playing music and acting like a goofball. All the while, we were blessed knowing Joyce and Mark entrusted us with their baby. I miss the talks we would have and the coffee dates where we would both unload about the stresses and joys of motherhood. We would laugh at the crazy stories about things our kids were up to and Joyce always had a special way of bringing things back to God. Stressful times always seemed to become so much less stressful when Joyce was around….i miss that dearly and am so blessed that I was gifted with being around her pure joy and positivity. 

Even though Joyce and I would get caught up through the years with our own lives, I cherished the fact that we always could just check back in and pick right back up. In 2020, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and Joyce, of course, reached back out. She checked in on me often and always prayed for and with me. During times when I was at my worst, Joyce saw right through the thick of it and always found  ways to make me laugh. I miss her belly laugh so much! 

So when Joyce shared with me that she was now fighting cancer, I wanted so badly to be that same support person for her and I hope and pray that I was. I feel honored that she confided in me with her feelings and felt comfortable asking me to pray for and with her. Anyone who knows Joyce knows how extremely private she is and how she really didn’t like to share anything that would make her loved ones worry about her. She was always putting everyone’s needs first…it’s just who she was. 

Although I deeply miss my friend, I am comforted knowing that she has been embraced by God and is no longer in pain. I’m grateful that I will see her again and until then, I will be saving up lots of stories and things we can make fun of together when we get to hug again. 

I was a co-worker and friend of Joyce. We worked at Positive Directions day center for special needs through BCMH.

I would chat daily with Joyce about physical therapy and just about life itself. She was a very special lady to me whom I loved dearly. I respected her opinion and the advice she would give me. 

She was an extraordinary therapist that loved and cared deeply for her patients. I loved how she was devoted to God & her family. I can’t express how deeply she affected the people around her (in a wonderful way & blessed way). Joyce will be truly missed and never forgotten. She was one of Gods special people for sure.♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

I didn’t know Joyce was sick and was shocked and completely shaken at the news. But while talking with Jill she said, she might have said something like “I’m going through a health journey.” I sat in my kitchen and turned over every word I could remember of our last conversation and then I remembered.  We laughed about growing old.  I thought she was talking about her diet or something like that. Because you see not only did Joyce and I grow up together going to Brennan School we went to University of Illinois and were roommates for 2 years before she transferred. I remember standing in the cafeteria line behind her for so many meals and watching her fill her tray trying to make a healthy balanced meal out of the mostly inedible food we were served. Aunt Alice would have been proud! She’d choke it down- even the soggy vegetables, and tell me while swallowing hard, “it’s good.”

These past weeks my mind has been full of memories of the years we shared. The laughter, tears and everything in between. Our fathers grew up together, we’re distantly related, and if birth order tells us something-we’re both middle children. Joyce’s love of animals and all things living was clear when when one very rainy summer at Hye camp our cabin had ended up assigned to tents. In the middle of the night a frog was ribbiting away in our tent. The girls were upset and someone may even have been crying- but there was Joyce crouching down on the wet ground in bare feet with a cup, saying “jump jump” desperately trying to get the frog to jump into the cup so she could safely take it outside. But her desire to care for animals did not quite extend to the pair of gerbils we got for our dorm room. She somehow talked me into a trip to the pet store and we came home with what we thought were 2 boy gerbils. They were an instant hit with everyone on the floor but we walked in one day to find them in their cage on top of each other. Joyce screamed- so repulsed and threw a blanket on the cage. She researched it but couldn’t stop it from happening, so she kept throwing the blanket on the cage. It just continued and even more so as time went on. The noise even kept us awake and Joyce became more disgusted and upset over them. It really was comical but I guess even she had her limits. Now I can’t exactly remember what became of them, but I know neither one of us took them home for summer break.

We were each other’s bridesmaids. And Hope, I can still hear her voice when she leaned over and whispered in my ear just before she walked down the aisle in my wedding, “I’m pregnant” she told me. She smiled so big and giggled a little with tears in the corners of her eyes. She was so happy.

Our lives became very different and far away from each other. We didnt talk often enough but when we did it was a gift. There was the love, and understanding of two friends who have known each other literally their entire lives. No judgment-just love and a desire to share and understand. I will hear her laughter and giggles in my heart forever. Her voice had a melody to it. She’d say, “you take care of yourself, Claudia” , or “good for you” in a way I know she really truly meant it.

Joyce my beautiful friend, I will look for your smile in the stars at night. 

My dear cousin, Joyce, had a special way of making our family dinners and gatherings festive and bright. You could count on her to light up the room with her brilliant smile and fill the air with her unmistakable laughter making things extra fun. Often, she would entertain us on the piano and violin playing tune after tune and sometimes would sight read songs she had never played before. I was so impressed by her music skills. She made it all sound so natural. 

What was most touching about my cousin is that she would take the time to talk with me one-on-one and would genuinely want to know how I was and what was going on in my life. She didn’t just scratch the surface, she wanted to understand where I was really at. Then, with her easy manner she would either comfort me with a few words or open my mind to a fresh perspective, simply and naturally. 

Joyce, had a deep and innate understanding of the complexities of people’s lives and life itself. Through it all, she forged a singular and personal path, creating a wondrous life despite experiencing tragic loss, pain and extreme challenges. With her smile and laughter she excelled and rose above it all, inspired and stalwart.

God bless you, Joyce. Your memory will continue to bring light and joy to my life. 

I love you and thank you,

Cousin Eric

I met, Joyce,  when she was two or three years old. A little doll with gorgeous curls dancing around her pretty face and pretty smile. Shy, she was never far from her mom and her apron ties. As an adult, she revealed her generous, giving and sensitive nature, caring for the needy and the ones in pain through her sharp and highly trained skills as an OT.

The trust and affection we felt for each other nurtured our connection despite the distances. I was touched to receive, occasionally, little messages light-hearted and humorous about her days or how something she saw fondly reminded her of our family dinners enjoyed together in fun and laughter.

It was all about the desire to connect, as we did so lovingly, till the end.

My sweet, Joyce, may you rest in peace.

Your loving, Auntie Vartouhi.