ForeverMissed
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Her Life

LOVE, MARRIAGE, FAMILY

July 9, 2013

At Sun life, Joyce met and fell in love with Raymond Armitage. They were married on May 14, 1976. They agreed that they did not want to settle and raise children in Toronto. About six months after they were married, they left their jobs and Toronto and moved to a smaller city. They welcomed their first child on December 23, 19978 and their second child on August 21, 1981. Joyce loved her children with a consuming love. They came first in her life. She devoted her time to them during their growing years. Joyce and Ray put in a swimming pool where the family spent many hours in the Summers, splashing and having fun.( Joyce looked forward to Summers when she spent time in the pool almost every day until she wasn't able to because of the physical symptoms related to her illness.)
 
 When her elder son was about twelve, Joyce returned to work teaching Secretarial Arts at two private colleges. Joyce was a stickler for correct spelling and proper grammar, but she was a patient teacher, according to her adult students. It was during this time that her elder son died. With her heart aching, Joyce picked herself up and carried on. She said that there were not too many days of her life when something would not cause her to shed a tear for her son.

Eventually, Joyce started her own home-based business helping people with theses, tax preparation, bookkeeping, editing books - you name it, Joyce was able to do it.  Her younger son completed his education and moved out on his own. She often expressed her pride in the person he had become. It gave her peace to know that he was happily employed, had lots of friends and was enjoying life.

Joyce, herself made good friends and was a good friend. She enjoyed telephone conversations with friends, lunches out with friends, having friends in for tea. She had lots of animal friends as well. She loved her birds, her cats, their dog Taz and all the neighbourhood birds, squirrels and dogs. After she became ill, she greatly enjoyed the occasions when a neighbour would bring their dog for a visit.

We miss our Joyce. At the same time, we rejoice when we think of the wonderful reunion in Heaven there must have been with family, friends and animals? when Joyce arrived at her Heavenly Home.     

THE WORKING GIRL

July 9, 2013

After graduating from college, Joyce returned to Guelph and became employed as an Administrative |Assistant in the Bacteriology and Immunology department at the Ontario Veterinary College (now part of the University of Guelph). Moving on, she obtained a position at Sun Life in Toronto. She loved the job, but not the harrowing commute on the 401, especially in the Winter. Eventually, she rented a small apartment in Toronto and became a big-city girl. Her older sister, by this time the stay-at-home mother of two children, remembers the lovely fur coat Joyce purchased for those cold Winter days in Toronto and Joyce's favourite perfume at the time - Estee Lauder's Youth Dew. She admired Joyce's sense of confidence and independence.

Joyce loved being an aunt. She took every opportunity to visit her nephews and loved it when she could babysit and have them all to herself. 

Later Joyce and a friend rented an apartment together. They acquired two cats - Smidge and Smudge. Joyce loved animals and she doted on Smidge and Smudge.  

THE EARLY YEARS

July 9, 2013

Joyce was born at Douglas Memorial Hospital in Fort Erie, Ontario. She was the younger daughter of Ralph Herbert Britt (1915-1976) and Maude Elizabeth (Elcox) Britt. Shortly after she was born, the family moved to Toronto to live with and care for her paternal grandfather, Edwin. Joyce attended Palmerston Avenue Public School until the family moved to Guelph when she was eight years old. There, she attended McDonald Consolidated Public School and Guelph Collegiate and Vocational Institute where she graduated in 1964.
As most high school students do, Joyce worked at part-time jobs. She was hired by a couple with five young children as a babysitter/nanny. She loved children and she loved caring for those kids! Her friend, Ruth recalls biking twelve miles each way with Joyce to a summer job where they had to shave aeroplane parts all day long to acquire money for college.

Along with three of her friends, Joyce set off for Ottawa and Algonquin College where she graduated with Honours.

Joyce made many friends. Her friendship with Ruth endured for fifty-five years. At Joyce's memorial service, Ruth said this, "She lit up the room with her smile and her laughter. She was always so optimistic and joyful about everything....When times were difficult, Joyce would find some kind of happiness or blessing in it....Joyce made friends easily because people wanted to be around her."