Joyce M. Istas Boyd

Joyce M. Istas BOYD Joyce M. Istas Boyd was born in Havre, Montana, October 15th, 1920, along with her identical twin sister, Janet. She died peacefully May 12, 2011. The twins were the middle children of six, all born to Edwin F. and Axeline Brink Istas; Margaret and Shirley were elder, Frank and Larry younger. The children grew up on a marginally successful homestead farm during the dust-bowl era and Joyce had fond memories of her childhood days in spite of the challenges. The family temporarily moved back to Wisconsin before relocating near to Olympia, WA where Ed was gratefully employed by Texaco as an accountant for the remainder of the Depression. The family was grateful for steady employment and topped their Christmas tree with a Texaco star every year thereafter. Axeline intended that Joyce and Jan become secretaries, but they had bigger plans: they both moved to Seattle in 1938 to attend the University of Washington and put themselves through school both graduating as Dieticians in 1942. Joyce met her first husband, Ralph Vick, in college and they were married just as WWll commenced. Sadly, Ralph died within a year when his ship sank in the Pacific. During the war, Joyce worked at a chemical warfare gas-mask manufacturing plant in Seattle and then she moved Detroit to become a dietician for Detroit Schools where she met Melton Boyd, an attorney in Ohio. They were married and moved back west to the Northgate area of Seattle, where Melton was staff attorney for the National Labor Relations Board and Securities and Exchange Commission. They had three children, Steve, Greg, and Randi. In 1955 the family moved to north Capitol Hill where Joyce continued to live in the family home until her passing. Active in neighborhood activities and scouting, Melton and Joyce were famous for their Cinco de Mayo parties on opening day of boating season, and in retirement, trips to Mexico in their red VW camper and visiting friends all over the country. Joyce and Jan were regular volunteers at the Seattle Art Museum and Joyce was a patron of the Seattle Symphony and Opera as well as one of the first volunteers for the local Head Start program. After Melton's death in 1990, the twins travelled extensively throughout the world as eternal 'best friends' and, over the past year, as roommates in the Boyd family home on Capitol Hill. Both were grateful for their good health, the deep love of family and extended family members, and their own special twin companionship well into their 'ninetieth year' (as they were fond of reminding others.) Joyce is survived by her sister Janet I. Butler (Seattle), brother Larry Istas (Paduca, KY) her children, Stephen Boyd (Seattle), Gregory Boyd (Bethesda, Md) and Randalynn Boyd Burns (Seattle), and her beloved grandchildren: Mikaela, Maia, Soleil, Lucian, Evan, Heather, Andrea and Cora. The family suggests remembrances be made in sharing daily kindness with others as Grandma Joyce would have wanted. Sign Joyce's on-line Guest Book at www.Legacy.com. Joyce pictured right, Janet on left.