Joyce Elane (Johnson) Gardner, 82, a resident of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, passed away on Tuesday, August 4, 2015 at her home. She was born in Calumet, Michigan on March 13, 1933, daughter of Arthur C. and Aili (Erkkila) Johnson.
Joyce lived in Ishpeming during her grade school years then moved back to Calumet in 1947 where she graduated from High School in 1951. After graduation she worked at Vertin’s Department Store in the Advertising Office.
On May 10, 1952, Joyce married Kenneth R. Gardner in Calumet. They moved to the Territory of Alaska while Ken was serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict. Joyce was employed as a government secretary at Elmendorf Air Force Base. After Ken’s discharge they returned to Michigan where Joyce worked as a legal secretary in Lansing.
Joyce and Ken also lived in several other areas of the country, including Maine, West Virginia, Iowa, Minnesota, and in Walpole, Mass. for 23 years. Joyce was an active charter member of the Walpole H.S. Friends of Music while her children were in school and an active member of the Epiphany Episcopal Church in Walpole. For several years Joyce was a Library Clerk at the Walpole Public Library.
In 1993, Joyce and Ken moved to Colorado where she became very active in family history research. As family genealogists-historians Joyce and Ken traveled throughout the U.S. They published a series of Family History books and organized family reunions in the Copper Country and Ishpeming locations.. She was a member of several Genealogical and Historical Societies in Michigan, Colorado, New England and Canada and her Family Tree data base includes over 125,000 names. Her heart was always in the Copper Country and an annual trip to enjoy summer at the Johnson family farm was a high priority.
Besides her parents, Joyce was preceded in death by her brother Arthur Nester Johnson, father and mother-in-law Nedward & Ethel (Picard) Gardner, brothers-in-law Ronald and Roger Gardner and sisters-in-law Lenore Gardner (Jewett), Joanne (Juopperi) Gardner and Mary (Thomas) Gardner.
Surviving are her husband Ken, son David (Ellyn) Gardner of Aurora, CO, daughters Dawn Flemings of Tampa, FL, Sheryl Gardner of Foxboro, MA, and grandson Bryan Flemings of Tampa, FL. Also surviving is son-in-law Robert Flemings of McKinney, TX., sisters-in-law Carol Amos of New Port Richey, FL., Betty Gardner of Gwinn, MI., Bernice Johnson of Lake Linden, brothers-in-law James Gardner of Green River, WY. and Robert Jewett of Porter Ranch, CA., nephew John W. (Sunny) Johnson of Oak Creek, WI., and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
The Erickson Crowley Peterson funeral home in Calumet will assist the family with the cremation and graveside services. Online condolences can be left for the family at www.ericksoncrowleypeterson.com Burial will be in the Lake View Cemetery in Calumet.
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