John Michael Joyce

Mike was born on May 8, 1938 in Alamosa, Colorado, the youngest son of the late Mable and William Joyce. He was the youngest of four children. Mike’s mother was a school teacher, primarily in a one room schoolhouse, from the age of 16 until she retired in the 1960s.- His father was the Postmaster General in Antonito, CO, where Mike grew up. His mother was a practicing Mormon; his father, of Irish heritage, a Protestant. Mike began school at age 7, starting in the second grade.

At 17, he enrolled at Brigham Young University, which most of his friends attended. He spent two years studying civil engineering — he always loved cars — and then quit college to join the Air Force. The Air Force immediately assigned Mike to attend Russian language training for one year at Syracuse University. He then spent the next three years in the back of huge military planes, filled with electronic equipment, flying close to the Soviet border and translating radio transmissions from Russian to English. He was based at that time in West Germany.

After leaving the Air Force, Mike went back to BYU and graduated with a degree in Political Science and Russian studies.

Mike met his wife, Karen, in a class at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She was a senior and he was a graduate student. Their first date was on his birthday in May 1965. In addition to his birthday, they also celebrated his acceptance by the US Department of State into the Foreign Service. By that time, he already spoke two languages: Russian and German.

After a short courtship, they married on December 31, 1965 — a marriage that lasted fifty-eight years — and began his career as a Foreign Service Officer and Russian Specialist in the US Diplomatic Corps.

Mike’s first assignment was the US Embassy in Manila, Philippines in February 1966. Successive assignments included Rangoon, Burma; Stuttgart, Germany; Garmisch, West Germany; Moscow, USSR; Managua, Nicaragua; Havana, Cuba; Washington, DC. He spent nearly nine years total in Moscow, across three separate tours, and on his final tour served as the Deputy Chief of Mission. He retired from the Foreign Service in 1995 after a thirty-five-year career in government. Mike and Karen’s oldest son, Patrick, was born in Bangkok, Thailand; their youngest, Rob, in Stuttgart, Germany.

Mike and Karen moved permanently from their home in Oakton, VA to Palm Coast, FL in December 2001. They spent the next twenty-two years living on the ocean on a barrier island in The Hammock of Palm Coast. Mike was an avid golfer and an extremely diverse reader of books on science, technology, history, and the origin of languages. He maintained his language skills by reading novels in Russian, German, and Spanish — which he thoroughly enjoyed and did for relaxation as well. He also loved to do crossword puzzles.

In 1984, Mike published an article in Foreign Policy magazine titled “The Old Russian Legacy,” which was assigned widely in university courses. In the 2000s, he wrote a column on foreign affairs for the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Mike was a special, unique person: highly intelligent, always curious, and very sensitive, kind, generous, and thoughtful. Primarily an introvert, he chose a career as a diplomat that entailed many social responsibilities. Luckily, his partner, best friend, and wife for fifty-eight years until his death was an extrovert. Their marriage evolved into a long lasting, productive, and loving relationship. He was extremely proud of his two sons and their accomplishments, and loved them, their wives and his four grandchildren very much.

In closing, Mike led a meaningful, motivating, and gratifying life. Loved by many, he was truly blessed.

A memorial farewell to Mike - an extended family reunion luncheon - is scheduled at noon on Friday, March 3, 2023 at the Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home in Mandarin, 11801 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, FL. Relatives to meet Karen and her family at the funeral home after the burial.

The funeral service will be held at the Jacksonville National Cemetery, 4083 Lannie Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32218 at 10:30am on Friday, March 3. Time is very specific at military funerals.

To family members: Details on the gathering are in the email already sent.

To all our close friends in Palm Coast and elsewhere: Karen will send you another email to convey her gratitude and love.