Joyce Anne Harmon

Joyce Harmon, 70, died December 10, 2021, after a long battle with cancer. Born in Savannah, Georgia in 1951 to Joni (Pye) and the late Joseph R. Harmon, she was preceded in death by her husband of twenty years, Richard Wich, and their faithful dogs Folly and Pesky. In addition to her mother, Joyce is survived by her sister, Jan Burke-Brown, and brother-in-law Carl Brown.

Her father’s overseas assignments introduced Joyce to a larger world than most children experience. She went to high school at the American International School in New Delhi, India and the Taipei American School in Taiwan. She earned an AB in East Asian Studies from Brown University in 1973.

Her experiences, education and interests prepared her well for a career at the CIA, most of it with the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS). Much admired for her even-handed, no drama, and analytical approach to issues and problems, Joyce served the United States well in overseas stints in the UK, Cyprus, and as FBIS bureau chief in Austria. At headquarters she served as Chief of the Operations Center, and, during the Clinton Administration, was Director of the White House Situation Room (1995-1997).

Retirement in 2001 gave Joyce time to explore her passions and wide-ranging interests. She studied art, history, and French and traveled to see Old Master and Italian Renaissance art, medieval architecture, and the “big five” animals in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. She was an ardent supporter of the DC Public Library where she satisfied a voracious appetite for interesting reads, from Victorian to contemporary novels. Each day began with two daily newspapers and any crossword puzzle she could find. She loved being a volunteer curatorial assistant at the Phillips Collection, and later became a docent at the National Gallery of Art.

Joyce will be deeply missed by her “dining club” of friends who have gathered several times a week for many decades at neighborhood watering holes. Notably, her absence will be felt by every dog within two miles of her home — she greeted each of them by name on daily walks. If wagging tails are any clue, they all knew and will miss her. She held to one longstanding, firm belief: "Dogs make everything better."