Joyce A. Trombley

1930 - 2026

Joyce A. Trombley, age 95, passed away peacefully on February 26, 2026, in Sumter County, Florida. She was born December 29, 1930, in Elmira, New York, to Otto and Dorothy (Mangan) Richards.

Graduating from St. Joseph's School of Nursing in Elmira in 1952, she began a lifelong career as a dedicated Registered Nurse. That September she married Kenneth Cowell, and the couple settled in Penn Yan, New York, where they raised their two sons, Richard and Steven. During those years Joyce worked as an operating room nurse at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital, where she became known as a highly skilled and dependable member of the surgical team.

In 1977, Joyce married Donald Corcoran and moved to Burns, Oregon, where she continued her career as an operating room nurse at Harney District Hospital. Colleagues often described her as exceptional and indispensable. After Don's passing in 2006, Joyce later made her home in The Villages and married Richard Trombley in 2007. There she built a vibrant circle of friends. She volunteered at the local Veterans Clinic and enjoyed bridge, mahjong, golf, traveling, and caring for several beloved cats.

She loved bringing people together, especially over meals she prepared. An amazing cook, Joyce found joy in feeding and caring for the people she loved. Throughout her life, she was an avid traveler, a passion that cultivated remarkable experiences spanning 25 countries, such as riding a camel at the Pyramids of Giza, walking the Great Wall of China, bathing elephants in Thailand, and enjoying over 45 cruises that brought her down the Rhine and through the Panama Canal.

She read several books each week and was a lifelong fan of Willie Nelson, who once blew her a kiss at a concert. A devoted supporter of the New York Yankees, her love of baseball took her to stadiums across the country with loved ones. Among the highlights were watching the Yankees with her dear friend Barb from her exclusive seating section and fulfilling a lifelong dream of attending a World Series game with her son Steven in 2006. Her quick wit and remarkable memory made her a valued member of trivia teams in The Villages, and family members fondly recall many evenings watching Jeopardy! with her, where she seemed to know nearly every answer.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers Robert and Otto Richards; her sons Richard and Steven Cowell; daughter-in-law Linda Cowell; and her husbands Kenneth Cowell, Donald Corcoran, and Richard Trombley.

She is survived by her children Edie Cowell, Molly (Jim) Towslee, Susan (Bill) Meals, Bill Corcoran, Shelia Corcoran, Edward (Rachel) Trombley, Joseph Trombley, Timothy (Margarita) Trombley, Steve (Jennifer) Trombley, Andrew (Joni Campbell) Trombley, and Chris (Steve) Bloom; grandchildren Chris Mundy, Donald (Amy) Corcoran, Charles McKenna, Katelyn and Kylie McKinney, Katrina (Virgil) Newberry, Sarah Cowell, Nathan Trombley, Nick (Patience) Trombley, Nitosha Fingar, Tiffany (Thad) Phillips, Josh (Meg) Trombley, Jessica (John) Pinneo, Jenna (Jeff) Cizenski, Ty (Aline) Trombley, Brandon (Maren) Trombley, Adam (Nicole) Trombley, Jackie Trombley, Gary Fuller, Keith Fuller, Cierra (Nate) Skorusa, Shane Bloom, Sydney Bloom; and many great-grandchildren who lovingly knew her as "GiGi" and "Grandma Joyce."

Joyce will be remembered for her kind heart and extremely positive outlook on life. Her love for her family, cats, gin & tonics, Willie Nelson, the Yankees, and traveling the world will live on in the stories and memories shared by those who loved her.

Memorials will be planned in Penn Yan, New York, and Oregon. Interment will be private.