Carmel Joyce

1932 - 2018

Carmel Marie Bouchard Joyce CHARLOTTE - Carmel Marie Bouchard Joyce, 86, of Charlotte died Sunday, September 23, 2018, in her home surrounded by loving family. Carmel was born in Chicoutimi, Quebec in 1932. She graduated from H“pital Saint-Luc Nursing School in Montreal in 1961. In 1963, she married Dr. Don Joyce, and despite not speaking English and never having been to the U.S. gamely hopped into their red VW Beetle and headed south to Charlotte for his internship and residency. She worked for several years as a surgical nurse at Charlotte Memorial Hospital, carrying a French-English dictionary in her pocket, and later volunteered as the nursing director at the Men's Homeless Shelter Medical Clinic. Though she eventually retired from nursing, she never met a baby she didn't want to hold, or a sick person she didn't want to heal. Her commitment to service brought her to Jamaica, Lourdes, as well as all over the Charlotte region, and continued until the very late stages of her struggle with vascular dementia. In her earlier years, Carmel loved talking on the phone with her mother; shopping with her sisters, daughters and granddaughters; and teaching French to anyone who was willing to learn. Together, she and Don enjoyed boating, skiing, road and river travel, and nurturing their two daughters to adulthood. She could cook like a gourmand and frequently hosted elaborate dinners, but she also made a mean meat pie, or pate … la viande. She had an extraordinary capacity for fun, and was always the first person on the dance floor at every celebration, and the last person to bed at family gatherings. She loved playing the piano late at night, and passed on her lifelong passion for music to her children and grandchildren. She was a loving aunt to her many nieces and nephews, and an especially devoted godmother to her Ti-minou (little kitten), Eveline Chiasson. She adored her beautiful granddaughters, Sophie and Charlotte, who learned from their grandmaman how to walk in high heel shoes. In spite of a very real fear of dogs, she grew to love her grand-dogs, Sox and Billy, who understood instinctively that she was the sun around which her family orbited, and respected her space accordingly. Carmel Joyce is survived by her husband Don, daughters Cynthia Joyce Evans (Corbin) and Nancy Joyce Callahan (Sean), and her granddaughters Sophie Callahan and Charlotte Callahan. A funeral service will be held at St. Gabriel's Church on Saturday, October 6, at 10:00 am, with visitation starting at 9:00am. A reception will follow the mass. The family suggests memorials to the following organizations in lieu of flowers: NC MedAssist, 4428 Taggart Creek Road, Suite 101, Charlotte, NC 28208; The Urban Ministry Center, P.O. Box 31335, Charlotte, NC 28231; Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte, 7845 Little Ave., Charlotte, NC 28226.