John "Jack" Joyce

Jack’s early years were spent living in Hyde Park. Much of his early life is shrouded in mystery, so our story begins later in his life. He met the love of his life, Kathy, while he was living in Somerville. They met at a Telephone Co. facility in Charlestown in 1977. On Kathy’s first day there, he asked her out. She said no and was left wondering ‘what is this guy thinking?’ He politely asked her out a few more times over the coming weeks and finally, she said yes. On their first date, they went to the Museum Of Science. Fast forward to the company Christmas party. Maybe it was a little Christmas magic or too much eggnog, but at the end of the party they shared their first kiss. From that moment on they were, as they say, 'joined at the hip'. They were married that following April.

Soon after being blessed with their first amazing son, Shawn, they decided to expand the family and recruit a little companion, Matthew. The best way to tell this portion of the story is in Matt’s own words: “I was maybe a few months old when I met my father after finding me in a hope chest that my mother purchased, 2 for $1, at a yard sale. OK that might not actually be true, but it has been a running joke (I think) since I was a child. Growing up, dad worked nights so we didn't get a ton of time with him. Some of my best memories, though, were waiting up for him to get home during the summer and going up on the roof to look at the stars. I have always had a love for astronomy and I owe that to him and those nights. We would bring binoculars and try to get a little bit closer of a look at the universe above. Even though it made us feel so small I always felt safe with him next to me. On the nights that we couldn't go up on the roof or out in the pool we would sometimes watch episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, or the Twilight Zone.”

Jack loved the Great Outdoors. He enjoyed fishing, hunting (but not catching anything), canoeing, camping and adventures in the forest. He loved camouflage and disguising himself in trees to get the upper hand on not shooting deer. I remember being 8 or 9 years old and how excitedly he explained the cloaking properties of the fox pee that he had purchased from the hunting store. That stuff was potent. I remember thinking ‘man, this dude is wild’ but I watched his demonstration without protest. When it failed to produce results on the hunting grounds, ever resourceful, he found another use for it. He poured it all over the rock wall outside our house to keep away the neighborhood punks that had been hanging out there at night. Worked like a charm. Coincidently, these were also the same rocks that we sat on when waiting for the school bus each morning. So that sucked.

Jack was determined to share his love of fishing with his sons. During one excursion, a worm almost ended Matt’s life. It was a nice summer day and dad had taken us fishing at Mills Pond in Brockton, down the street from where we lived at the time. Matt did not inherit Dad’s love for the great outdoors, so instead of fishing, he was just playing with the worms. While sitting along a rock wall (that dropped a few feet below into the water) one of the worms relieved itself on his hand. He dropped it on a rock that was very close to the water in disgust, however Matt was determined to get his revenge. He leaned over the wall to grab the worm and fell right in. Matt insists that something (most likely Swamp Thing) grabbed him and was pulling him down. When dad heard the splash and realized it was his child and not a fish, he jumped right in. Within a matter of seconds he pulled Matt out of the water and threw him up on to the ground. For the longest time Matt thought dad was really angry at him but, as a parent now himself, Matt can now imagine the panic and fear dad must have felt hearing the splash and not seeing his child come back up. As far as we know, that worm is still at large and living his best life.

He loved camping. Mom… not so much. The first family camping trip was up in New Hampshire. Jack pulled up to an empty lot in the middle of the barren wilderness and said “We’re here!” Taking a look around, mom uttered a response that cannot be printed here, but was along the lines of ‘you’ve got to be kidding me!’ He laughed this great big belly laugh. We went to bed soon after explaining to mom that it was perfectly safe to sleep on the ground in a bag in a cloth tent in bear country. Needless to say, she slept with the flashlight on all night. As much fun as that trip was, mom never went camping again.

Jack had a great sense of humor. He was always quick with a joke or to do some crazy thing to make everyone laugh. His witty, sometimes morbid sense of humor is alive and well in both of his sons and certainly in his oldest granddaughter, Molly. Mom was a huge fan of his witty retorts and they always went over well.

He loved horror movies. He loved heavy metal. He loved ballet. Ok, he didn’t like ballet, but he did introduce us to the world of metal and horror – two things that would dramatically shape the lives of little Shawn and Matt. We bonded over those. Some of the best times we had were to the soundtrack of Metallica or Iron Maiden or having pizza while watching Night of The Creeps. He did always worry that it would turn us into morbid weirdos, but I’m happy to report that we turned out fine and we’re not weird. We’re morticians.

He loved spending time with his wife and going on car rides to Maine or to spend the day at Dighton Rock. They did everything together. As long as it was the two of them, he was happy. Whether it was on a little getaway or watching TV, he was grateful for every moment they spent together.

A few years ago, Matt had the opportunity to work alongside dad. He was in need of a new job and dad helped him get set up through a temp agency and hired at a machine shop that he was also working at. He told Matt about how he really thought he would like this line of work because he knew he liked making things and working with his hands. They would carpool most days, which sometimes meant Matt riding on the back of dad’s motorcycle while wearing mom’s helmet. Matt felt a different level of comfort going to work every day knowing he was there with him. After that company went out of business, and a few other miscellaneous jobs later, Matt’s back at a machine shop carrying on the work that dad was so excited about.

Family was very important to him. In recent years, he was able to discover and connect with his birth family. This was so incredibly important to him, as it was something that he had been longing for throughout his whole life. To find family, connect and be accepted meant the world to him.

His grandchildren were the highlight of his life, and he cherished every moment he had with them. When we couldn’t visit, he loved talking to them on the phone, especially with Molly. They would play “I spy” over the phone, and we’re not talking FaceTime either. All you could hear in the house was Molly cackling because poor Papa couldn’t figure out what she had spied with her little eye, probably because he was 20 miles away and couldn’t see into our living room. On the rare occasion that he actually guessed it, she was quick to lie and say that wasn’t it. She would cover the phone and lean over to reassure us that “it’s ok, he can’t see it anyway” and laugh like an absolute lunatic. When he would visit, he loved watching Abby’s crazy dance shows that she’d put on in the living room and he’d cheer her on as she danced and “sang”. He always thought it was funny that Abby would give goodbye punches instead of hugs. One of Evie and Anna's favorite things to do when they would visit is to sit with him in his remote controlled chair and go all the way up until they slid off onto the floor. He always had a way to make the kids light up and laugh. Whether it was from a joke, or his reactions to them pulling his hair, they always had a great time with papa-papa. Plus more often than not, he had some kind of candy for them so they could get all spun up. There is no doubt that he had a special bond with each and every one of his grandchildren.

There isn’t really a witty way to end this. Could really use one of his jokes now. So we will just say we love you and goodbye (with one last Goodnight punch from Abby).

Jack is survived by his beloved wife of 44 years, Katherine (Marazzo) Joyce; his loving sons, Shawn Joyce and his wife Caitlin of East Walpole, Matthew Joyce of Foxboro; his adored grandchildren, Molly, Abby, Evelyn and Anna; his brothers Kevin Joyce and his wife Marybeth; Steven Leivi and his wife Karen; Mike Leivi; his sisters Sandra Maher and Valerie Farrow; his nephews Kyle Joyce, George Leivi; nieces Kristen Joyce, Elizabeth Leivi; his cousin Gina Marie Ortiz; his aunt Barbara Hana.

Services are private and will be handled through Gillooly Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Jack’s memory to the American Heart Association at www.heart.org