Linda Joyce Beck

Linda Joyce Beck died on May 22, 2011, after three years of struggle with ovarian cancer. She was 65. Linda was the light of my life and the joy of my existence for over thirty years. She was an unfailing source of kindness, love and good humor to her enormous circle of friends. She was a compassionate, caring physical therapist, who genuinely loved and respected her patients. Her reservoir of love was always overflowing; she loved more people than most of us will ever even know. A soft and gentle light has gone out. The world will be a darker place. Linda Joyce was the second child and first daughter of Roy Joyce and Marion Schneider Joyce. She was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on August 30, 1945. Both Roy and Marion were teachers: Marion taught art in the public school system and Roy taught biology (and fencing) at Western Michigan University. After Roy's tragic death from brain cancer in 1955, Marion moved the family to Middletown, Connecticut, where they lived with and cared for Linda's grandmother. After high school, Linda returned to Kalamazoo to attend Western Michigan University. She taught elementary school for several years, then decamped to San Francisco to experience the emerging scene. After a few interesting years and several uninteresting jobs she again transplanted herself, this time to Bellingham where - sometime in 1980 - she met Myrl Beck, whom she married on March 19, 1982. In 1985 Linda enrolled in the U.W. School of Physical Therapy, where she was by far the oldest and very likely the most popular student in her class. Upon graduation she was hired by St. Luke's Hospital, which was soon absorbed by its rival, St. Joseph's. Linda's specialty was "acute care", which means that she worked with people in a hospital setting: joint replacements, strokes, and the effects of other ravages of old age or disease. She often remarked that she loved her "old guys". All St. Joe's physical therapists are excellent, but Linda was particularly so, largely because of her immense store of compassion, patience, and good humor. One of her erstwhile colleagues recently told me that, when faced with a particularly unpleasant and uncooperative patient, he often asks himself, "What would Linda do?" Linda retired in 2008 when her medical difficulties intervened. Linda also was a master quilter. She was a member of the Moonlight Quilters guild and a smaller group of special friends called the "Crazy Eights". She is said to have been especially good at selecting fabric. This required visits to "quilt stores" (fabric shops) wherever they might be encountered - and she had a book that told her where they were. Cross-country trips with Linda could be quite lengthy affairs! She also had an immense enthusiasm for movies, as well as an encyclopedic memory for actors and scenes. Ask her "Hey, Linda who was that guy in the red shirt in that boxing movie?" and she would name the movie, name the person, and even provide details of his latest divorce! Linda is survived by her husband, by her sister Carolyn Joyce of Eureka, California, and by her brother Richard Joyce of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Both Carolyn and Richard have two children and three grand-children. Linda loved them all, and made quilts for them. She also "inherited" three step-daughters: Karen Beck, of Seattle, Linda Kelly, of Cordova, Alaska, and Kristen Beck, of Ferndale, and through Linda Kelly, three grand daughters. All of these loved her as a mother/grandmother, and she loved them in return. And, yes, they all have their own special quilt. Linda was taken from us by ovarian cancer, one of the most cruel and implacable diseases a woman can face. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, please visit the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center web site, http://getinvolved.fhcrc.org/goto/lindajoycebeck, sign the guest book, and leave a comment or remembrance. You might also consider making a donation in her name. If you have computer troubles, please contact me (myrlbeck@msn.com). There will be a celebration of Linda's life at her home, but the exact date is pending. All of her friends will be informed. Moles Family Funeral Homes & Crematory, Bayview Chapel