Joyce Marguerite Beard of Ithaca, 95 ¾ years young, passed away on 12/5/2021, at Carson City Hospital. Joyce was born in St. Louis, Michigan on 1/8/1926, to Kathleen Cummings Harris and Victor J. Harris. She was a home birth, with the doctor coming from Vestaburg to deliver her. Her family raised bees and had a honey production business, shipping honey across the United States via train. Joyce’s uncle owned the infamous Park Hotel in downtown St. Louis, known for their famous “duck dinners.” As a teenager, she worked at the hotel restaurant as a server and one of her favorite stories to tell was when she dropped butter on the then Governor of Michigan!
Joyce attended and graduated from Michigan State College (now known as MSU). Later in her teaching career, despite having years of teaching experience, she was required to attend Central Michigan University and obtain a teaching degree. She did this on the weekends, while continuing to teach classes during the week. She started her teaching career at the Allen Rural School, where she taught for 4 years and then taught at the Wheeler Rural School for 8 years until the Wheeler School annexed into the Ithaca School System. She taught third grade for Ithaca, at which time, her son, Vic, had begun the 4th grade, and she loved to share that he would tell everyone, “Boy, I just missed that one!” Joyce went on to become Ithaca’s first Special Education Teacher and taught that for 5 years, before moving into teaching 1st grade until 1982, when she retired after 35 years of teaching.
Joyce met the love of her life, Edwin “Duane” Beard in high school at a Band Competition in St. Louis. They both played the trombone. They were married on February 8, 1947. After Joyce retired, she and Duane, started making yearly trips to Mesa, Arizona, where they owned a home in Apache Wells They would spend Spring & Summer in Michigan and Fall and Winter in Arizona, where they enjoyed golfing and going to flea markets. Here in Michigan, Joyce was a member of the Gratiot Country Club for many years and was a regular league golfer. She also enjoyed going to yard sales and auctions with her good friend, Ardis Williams. Joyce was a member of the Fab Five Club, made up of fellow teachers, Pat Crawford, Marilyn Fortney, Ellie Newsom and Betty Kirby, and they have continued to keep that friendship going.
After the passing of her husband, Duane, in 2006, her salvation became the Gratiot County Senior Center, where she was a regular attendee, going 3 days a week, enjoying the meals, meeting up with her friends, and catching up on all of the local news and gossip. She also loved being “Jo” when Jo Jones would be out of town.
Joyce was known for her many catch phrases, with her favorite being “Whatever.” She said this so much while teaching that she became known as “The Whatever Lady,” receiving many gifts with this word on it! Another favorite for her in the last year and a half, was “It’s a weird world,” which summed it up perfectly. Whenever someone told her that they loved her, she would always reply back with, “I love you more.” Her most recent endearment was to her son, Vic, when she would say to him, “I love you more now than even when you were born.”
Joyce has touched the lives of many in her almost 96 years. It’s hard to find someone whose life hasn’t been made better by having known her. A good friend recently shared with me a story of when she was a young student of Joyce’s. My friend was having a rough day and Joyce noticed this. Joyce wrote on a piece of paper and handed her the following note, “Turn your frown upside down.” This was the kind of teacher and person that she was.
Joyce loved her family greatly and loved spending time with them at the many family birthday celebrations and holiday gatherings, especially Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as well as the food that accompanied those celebrations. Our world will be a little less brighter without her in it. Her loss is deeply felt by her son, Victor (Julie) Beard of Ithaca, grandson, Logan (Abbey) Beard of Des Moines, Iowa, granddaughter, Brooke Fuggi of Apopka, Florida, grandson, Brent Beard of Florida, daughter-in-law Jayne Beard of Florida, great-granddaughter, Kaitlin (Brandon) Schneider of Sorrento, Florida, great-grandson, Brandon Beard of Harrington, Delaware, great-great-granddaughter, Ryleigh Schneider and Braelyn Schneider, great-great-grandson, Caden Schneider, and Joyce’s sister, Janet (John) Foord of New Jersey, as well as nephews and nieces.
Joyce had moved into Rosewood Adult Foster Care early Summer, where she made fast friends with Ruth Smith, Gwen Showers, and Kathleen Humm, her dining buddies, as well as Lois Barden. She entertained the staff at Rosewood with her sharp wit, her great sense of humor, and her upbeat personality. Joyce’s family would like to thank Myra and all of the staff at Rosewood, Kristy, Rod, Charlotte, Teresa, Sydney, Ashley, Heather, Dan, Colton, and so many more, who have been simply exceptional for their love, their kindness, excellent care, and friendship, and for providing “too much food” during her stay there.
Joyce was preceded in death by her husband, Duane in 2006, her brother, William Harris in 1982, her mother, Kathleen Harris in 1991, and her father, Victor Harris in 1969.
A graveside service will be held for the immediate family through Barden’s Funeral Home. A Celebration of her Life will be held in the Spring at the Senior Activity Building. Anyone wishing to make donations, can make them to Rosewood Adult Foster Care or the Senior Activity Building.
The family is being served by the Barden Funeral Home in Ithaca. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.bardenfuneralhome.com.
17 Post Condolences
Tom E Davis, born October 22, 1959, passed away unexpectedly on December 8, 2021. He is survived by “Crick” his “wife” of 34 years, his son “Code/Bubba” and many other family members.
