Joyce Aaron

Joyce Gomberg Aaron, 95, of Orleans, Mass. passed away peacefully on December 2, 2024 surrounded by her children.

Joyce was born to Aaron Gomberg and Ruth Bassing Gomberg in Worcester, Mass. After Joyce graduated from Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass. in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education, she taught kindergarten in Worcester and Cranston, RI.

Joyce met and married Hugh Aaron of Worcester several years later. They had three children, Suzanne, Andrew, and Elizabeth.

They lived in the Worcester area for 33 years and relocated to Cape Cod upon Hugh's retirement in the mid-1980s. Joyce and Hugh divorced in 1988, and Joyce remained in Orleans.

Joyce loved art and was an accomplished artist in her own right. She was a member of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration and won numerous awards. In addition to attending Massachusetts College of Art later in life, she taught painting for 15 years in her home studio.

Her paintings, collages, and found-object art appeared in exhibitions and galleries in the Boston area and on Cape Cod, and her work received many awards. One of her paintings hung in the Massachusetts State House.

She was also a docent at the Worcester and Cape Cod art museums for more than 40 years in total. She traveled extensively and enjoyed seeing art in countries all over the world.

Interested in antique restoration, she often refurbished antique furniture and quilts. She also enjoyed other arts and crafts and collecting objects.

Although a polio survivor, she had a passion for tennis and was behind the effort to bring more tennis courts to her hometown of Paxton.

Joyce also created and had patented the earringer®, an earring holder that could be used for travel or home storage of earrings.

Joyce was an avid reader, and she loved jigsaw puzzles and playing Scrabble.

In addition to being creative, Joyce had a big heart, a great sense of humor, and a humble and genuine demeanor. She was loved, appreciated, and admired by many. She was a devoted mother and often expressed that the accomplishment she was most proud of was raising her children.

Joyce was predeceased by her father, her mother, her sister Beverly Gomberg Sugerman, and her former husband. She is survived by her three children and two grandchildren.

A celebration of life is expected to be held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Cape Cod Museum of Art, an organization Joyce felt strongly about. Alternatives include Smile Train and organizations that support polio and lung cancer.