Joyce Natalie Myers

Joyce Natalie Myers, late night reader, diehard Habs fan, seasoned green thumb, prolific Post It noter, card sender extraordinaire, professional coffee klatcher & lifelong learner said Toodle-oo to this world on Monday, May 29th, 2023.

Joyce, the eldest child born to Audrey Clarice Brown & George William Dumouchelle in 1937 on Lincoln Road in Windsor, was older sister to thoughtful, selfless & giving Beverly, who pursued nursing as a profession & contemplative Ronald, whose interests in drama & writing played out in a wide variety of teaching roles throughout his storied career. Joyce grew up with a love for languages, a keen athleticism & an appreciation of all things written which led her to a vocation in elementary teaching, something she remained fiercely proud of her entire life.

Joyce was a tough nut. While she doubted herself in some capacities, you had best step aside when she believed in her cause. She was ahead of her time, proactively procuring adoption files before the courts closed them, and, before IEPs were common vernacular in schools, advocating to remove punitive notes & add positive supports for her children. Joyce rocked her Dr. Scholl’s clogs daily, occasionally flipped the ‘bullhorns’ calling b.s. when it was needed & she regularly whistled her kids home to 1212 Guildwood from a radius as far reaching as 5 blocks.

In May 1977, Joyce suddenly became widowed & a single parent to 3 young children. The unexpected passing of Alan James Myers stayed with Joyce all her years but shortly after & with very little support, she dug in her heels & decided to ‘stay put’ & this was how she lived her life. With flair, Joyce could turn plain rice & a can of stewed tomatoes into “Spanish Rice,” she thriftily split sticks of gum in 2 & covertly hid coconut fingers to allow them to last for up to 2 months and when she couldn’t afford air conditioning, she would take her family to the cool darkness of a movie theatre on the hottest August day. And while Joyce very rarely splurged on herself, she could always be counted on to find funds for her childrens’ various activity fees or to spoil them by skipping over the No-Name pants at Woolco & picking up the Jordache jeans instead.

Joyce excelled at the alchemy of a perfectly powdered and iced Nestea, making Scottish shortbread, commandeering the TV for Hockey Night in Canada, touching her tongue to her nose & spinning her eyes eerily clock & counter clockwise & staying up until you got home. She didn’t excel at taking advice, throwing things out or allowing anyone but herself to drive the Cougar XR7. Joyce’s lifelong pastimes included reading, gardening, taking interest courses, scribing hand written notes & talking on the phone. Hand in hand with marathon calls were neighbourhood coffee talks. And, as only children of the 80’s can understand, you could be locked out on the porch, tired, hot & thirsty for countless hours while there was chinwag to be had with Dot, Louise, Betty, Kathy, Marilyn or Daphne.

Joyce is survived by her 3 very grateful children Wendy (Lee), Grant (Sylvie) & Cindy (John) who she championed & supported and often kept vigil for in emergency waiting rooms. This is why she regularly attended badminton on Mondays which she fittingly titled, “Save A Kid Night.” She loved them all equally but could occasionally be heard saying, “I’ll always love you, but I like you just a little bit less today” when one of them would arrive home “at all hours,” put a tooth in their ear to see if it fits or brazenly sit outside of their high school in the sunshine skipping class. Joyce is also survived by her 6 grandchildren Natasha & Alan, Marty, Mylène & Étienne & Élyse. She lit up when she shared their strengths & talents, she relished each phone call & visit & proudly catalogued & kept every photo, craft & letter they ever sent her.

When Joyce died at the end of May, she had spent her life resourcefully working to “stay put”. She left this world on her own terms, staying put & never truly having lived a day in assisted care. Her dying wish was to have a quiet spot to read, preferably under a Tricoloured Beech. In lieu of donations, you can honour Joyce when you are plucky, curious, playful & caring. You can do this spending time & calling someone who loves to hear your voice, having fun & trying something new like a Fuzzy Navel, pausing to send someone a lovely hand-written note and for Joyce’s sake, always double checking that the dryer is off as you leave the house & of course, triple checking the doors are locked too. ‘Ta Ta For Now’ Joyce.

A Celebration of Life for Joyce will be held on Saturday, August 19th, 2023 in Dundas, Ontario.

Close family and friends please call Marlatt Funeral Home in Dundas at (905) – 627-7452 for service details.