Tom & Mary Buccino
I have known Joyce since HS where our paths first crossed in Band (and Marching Band). She played a mean clarinet!
As we all went in different directions after graduation, it was nearly 40-years later before I met up with Joyce and Jim once again.
Since 2010, our friendship has grown stronger; more time spent together - particularly those Italian meals with cocktails (yes, cocktails) with Joyce and Jim at our favorite spot in Bolton.
Over the last two years, we have watched a terrible disease silently infiltrate our friend. We witnessed the journey the Gagne’s shared and the courageous fight that ensued.
In the final weeks of life, we saw a Joyce that had been invisible to us until now. Her indescribable strength and deep love for her husband stared us in the face as if a light was switched on.
We will undoubtedly miss Joyce... Her wit, her laugh, and her “Absolutely” and “Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm”.
Her passing brings grief and reflection; however - it also reinforces the need to celebrate the full life of this giving friend. We can learn much from the courage she possessed. It has been a privilege to have known and shared time with Joyce Gagne.