Her parents, Orman F. and Germaine (Mayfield) Mann welcomed their daughter into the world on April 4, 1938 in Rochester, NH. Joyce grew up in Rochester and was a 1959 graduate of Spaulding High School.
Follow graduation, Joyce attended Keene Teachers College, now Keene State College, where she received a bachelor degree in education. It was while attending college that she met her future husband, John E. "Jack" Gordon Jr. of Keene.
Joyce seemingly remembered every student she taught over her 30 plus years. She would say, “I had them in school,” every time she saw a student or a name came up in conversation. She taught fourth and fifth grade at Symonds Elementary School in Keene for the majority of her career. She also spent several years at the Walpole (NH) Elementary School and Franklin Elementary School in Keene.
Joyce was a very active member of her community, volunteering at the American Red Cross Blood Drives, as a member of the Keene Pops Choir, and for many years as supervisor of the checklist at the election poles.
She enjoyed knitting, especially creating outfits for newborns. She loved to cook, and with Christmas as her favorite holiday, Joyce made her annual pork pies and delicious Christmas cookies.
She will be greatly missed by many, especially her daughter, Lesley G. Wasko and her husband, Ron “Murt", and granddaughter, Meg, of Keene. She is survived by her daughter, Lynne C. Thomas and her husband, Paul, of North Hampton, NH, and their daughter, Hannah; a brother-in-law, David Pierce of Rochester; a sister-in-law, Glenda Mann, of Katy, TX; her niece, Jill Miltner and her husband Peter, of Rochester; and a nephew, Rick Collins and his wife Krista, of Bedford, NH. Her husband of 56 years, John E. Gordon, and a brother, Dwight Mann; sister, Louann Pierce; and grandson, Sam, predeceased her.
Services for Joyce will be held privately by the family.
For those who wish, donations may be made in Mrs. Gordon’s memory to Hospice of HCS, PO Box 564, Keene, NH 03431.
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Hospice of HSCPO Box 564, Keene, New Hampshire 03431
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