Joyce Arlene Kleinsmith

Joyce Kleinsmith passed away February 1, 2023, from complications after a hip fracture suffered on December 29, 2022. She spent her final days in hospice care, in the loving company of her children and grandchildren.

Joyce was born in Spokane, Washington, on June 15, 1929, the oldest daughter of Ralph and Zella Christie (Howard). She had an older brother, Earl, who died in infancy, and a younger sister, Marian.

Joyce grew up in Tacoma, Washington, where her father was a teacher, coach, and principal at Stadium High School. After graduating from Stadium HS, Joyce attended the University of Puget Sound and graduated with a degree in psychology.

Joyce met the love of her life, Lary Kleinsmith, on a blind date – a date neither wanted to go on. They were married June 16, 1956, in Tacoma. During their life together they lived many places in Washington and Oregon as dictated by Lary’s work, but once they moved to Washington County, Oregon, they found their forever home.

Joyce and Lary raised four daughters together and Joyce always said that having four daughters had been her greatest accomplishment. Lary came around to appreciate having daughters as well, even though this meant no football players in the family.

Lary passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on November 2, 1983, before he and Joyce could accomplish their dream of retiring to the Oregon Coast. However, Joyce purchased a small vacation home in Manzanita in 1990 (“The Aerie”) and she enjoyed it immensely. She visited often, alone or with pets, friends, or family. It was her place to embrace solitude, watch the sun set where the sky meets the ocean, collect seashells, and rejuvenate with the sounds and smells of the ocean. She felt great joy in sharing the house with friends and family even when she was not there with them. Her last visit to Manzanita was September 30-October 3, 2022.

Joyce loved to travel and was fortunate to have an opportunity to do so during two periods in her life. The first was in the early 1950’s when she was a stewardess for Northwest Airlines. Back then they were stewardesses, not flight attendants. This ended when she married, since stewardesses at that time were required to be single (along with meeting strict height and weight requirements). Even after her flying days, Joyce remained close with many of her stewardess friends for life.

After retiring, Joyce again had the opportunity to travel with several travel buddies, one of them being Mirko with whom she traveled the world. Joyce and Mirko traveled to Slovenia in 2001, and on their journey home, they became stranded in Budapest Hungary when all air traffic to the US was grounded after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Joyce loved and appreciated the natural world and all its living beings. She was an avid gardener, even trying her hand at bonsai for a time, and she enjoyed visiting nurseries and attending HPSO plant sales. She adored animals of all kinds and had many wonderful pets in her life, mostly dogs, cats, and birds with the occasional turtle, gerbil, hamster, or tortoise when her children and grandchildren were growing up. She volunteered at the Portland Audubon Wildlife Care Center and fed wild birds for many, many years. Joyce had a pond with two waterfalls built in her backyard, and perfect summer days were spent sitting near the pond with her macaw and escaping into the sights and sounds of rippling water, water lilies, wild birds, and tree frogs. Even at age 93 she enjoyed the hummingbird(s) visiting the feeder and flowers on her patio.

Joyce loved to cook, particularly once she retired, and for many years cooked nightly dinners for the daughter and two grandsons with whom she shared a home.

After raising her family, Joyce worked at OMSI and then Portland Community College – first at the Rock Creek campus and then at Sylvania. She made many friends at PCC, some of whom she remained in contact with long after retirement.

Joyce would be the first to tell us that getting old is not for the faint of heart. But even as her health declined, she still found many things in life to appreciate and enjoy, such as spending time with family and watching her favorite Seattle Seahawks and Oregon Ducks win football games. She liked white flowers and Italian Food and kept in touch with friends via email, in particular her best friend Amy with whom she traded emails daily. She felt that love, laughter, and good humor might not cure all her ills, but they certainly made life more livable. She also loved to complain about the weather and indulge in her daily ration of chocolate.

Joyce is survived by her daughters Julie (Mike), Cheryl, Lori (Steve), & Shelley; by her grandchildren Adam, Ariel (Kellie), Ashleigh (Andrew), Maddy (Nick), Matt, Casey & Cody; and by her great-granddaughter Karsen. She is also survived by her sister, Marian Dunsford of Palo Alto, California.

Joyce’s wish for many years was that one day a “wake” would be held to celebrate her life – with everyone eating and drinking and laughing and crying together in their memories of her. Her family is planning to have a celebration of life for her at a later time. Meanwhile, we ask you, her friends and family, to share your joy in having known her. Celebrate her life and remember her with love when you savor a piece of good chocolate or raise a glass of fine wine or appreciate a hummingbird in flight. Remember a funny story – or a touching one – of her.

In remembrance of Joyce, her fondest desire would be for donations to be sent to Predator Defense of Eugene, Oregon, or Wolf Haven of Tenino, Washington.

Joyce will be cremated and laid to rest at Skyline Cemetery in Portland, Oregon, sharing a niche with her beloved Lary “forever and ever.” They have a wonderful view from up there!