Joyce "Jay" Ames

(nee Eichhorn), age 95, born July 11, 1926, passed away November 23, 2021. Joyce "Jay" Grace Eichhorn Ames was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois. Jay graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University with a major in Art and a minor in Art History. She was also an active member of her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. Her art major was a catalyst to explore what had become a life long passion for the visual arts. While at Illinois Wesleyan, she met Chuck Ames who had just returned from four years of service in the South Pacific where he was a decoder. On their first date Jay tucked a $10 bill in her pocket just in case the date didn't go as planned and she needed to get a cab ride home. As it turned out, she found Chuck to be charming and this first date blossomed into what became a life long partnership. They were married in Rockford, Illinois on September 9, 1950 and so began their journey that eventually brought them to Cleveland, Ohio. It is here that they began to establish their roots, raise their family and leave a mark on their city. Jay was a supporter of several organizations devoted to preserving the visual arts. At her alma mater, IWU, Chuck made a gift in Jay's name to endow a new art building, now called the Joyce Eichhorn Ames School of Art. Both Jay and Chuck were very proud of their alma mater and they strived to find ways to give back to the University where they had first met. Jay spent a good part of her life trying to make beautiful surroundings for her family and friends to enjoy. She was very involved in helping the design of the Ames Family Hospice House of the Western Reserve. It was important to her to make sure that this facility, where families come during times of distress, was a warm and welcoming environment to all who entered. Ultimately, Jay was a devoted wife and mother. She enjoyed nothing more than spending time with her family. She was very proud of her children and grandchildren and looked forward to any time spent with them, whether at home around the dining table or on a family trip together. She was a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother. Jay is survived by her three loving children; Paula Ames Redman, Richard Scott Ames (Anne) and Cynthia Ames Huffman (Ned), eight grandchildren; Julia Nora Redman, Grace Lila Redman, Elizabeth Pearce Coe, Camille Ames Tighe, Annie Manuel Ames, Hunter Ames Hoge, Preston Ames Hoge and Charles Ames Hoge. She was preceded in death by her husband Charles B. Ames, sister Betty Jane ("BJ") Salisbury and brother John William Eichhorn. The family prefers that those who wish can make contributions in her name to the Ames Family Hospice House, 30080 Hospice Way, Westlake, OH 44145.