Published in the December 21, 2020 edition.
WAKEFIELD — Catherine E. “Katie” Joyce, age 101, died peacefully on Friday, December 18 in Reading.
Born in Brooklyn, NY on October 9, 1919, she was the daughter of the late Joseph J. and Catherine “Lillian” (Schorr) Farrell.
Mrs. Joyce was raised in The Bronx in New York before moving to Massachusetts. She had been a longtime Wakefield resident, living in town for more than 61 years and raising her family. Over the past several years she was cared for at the Residence of Pearl Street Assisted Living in Reading, where the staff and residents doted over her.
Katie was active in Council on Aging activities and volunteered every chance she could get. She loved visiting her granddaughters’ classroom and sang for her class. She auditioned to sing the National Anthem for the Boston Red Sox.
Katie played Scrabble and cards at night while the other residents at Pearl Street were sleeping. She had to be spoken to a few times to “keep it down.” Friends and relatives have sent countless stories and memories of how positive and selfless she was and professed their admiration for her and her family.
She was the beloved wife of the late William J. Joyce. She was the loving mother of William Joyce and his partner Kwame Boison of Boston, John Joyce and wife Beth of Reading, Mary Ann Dennis of Malden and Patricia A. Joyce of Peabody. She was the sister of the late Rita Moore and Veronica Mulholland. She is survived by her three grandchildren Erin Joyce of Reading John Joyce of Denver, CO, and Veronica McAllister and husband Raymond of Burlington; as well as longtime family friend Joseph Bonales of Providence, RI.
Her funeral Mass will be celebrated in Most Blessed Sacrament Church, 1155 Main St., Wakefield on Tuesday at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Interment, Forest Glade Cemetery, Wakefield. Arrangements in the care of the McDonald Funeral Home, Wakefield.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donation may be made to the Perkins School for the Blind, 175 N Beacon St, Watertown, MA 02472. Perkins School for the Blind added to Katie’s quality of life with books on tape when she could not see to read any longer.
