Joyce Wolf Field

Brooklyn - Joyce Wolf Field was born October 1, 1932, to Abraham and Bella Wolf (née Kestenbaum) in the Bronx, New York. The family moved to Detroit, MI in 1937, where she received all her early education. Joyce passed away on September 19, 2024, at the age of 91, on her beloved husband's birthday, who predeceased her.



Joyce was married to Leslie "Les" Field for almost 60 years. She is survived by her daughter Lynda, of Brooklyn, NY and her son Jeffrey and his wife Cathryn, of Los Angeles, CA as well as 3 grandchildren, Luna, Dylan, and Collin. She was a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother and aunt and loyal friend to many people in the community. She lived in West Lafayette for 60 years and after briefly relocating to Los Angeles with her son's family moved to live with her daughter and granddaughter in Brooklyn.



Joyce graduated with a BA, Magna Cum Laude from Wayne State University with a degree in English, where she met her husband Les, and they did graduate work at Indiana University and Purdue University. She and her husband shared an interest in Thomas Wolfe and 20th century American Jewish writers, Bernard Malamud, Saul Bellow, and Philip Roth and published numerous books and articles on these authors. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.



Joyce taught at the Krannert School of Business at Purdue and held a variety of positions in the private and public sector, including running the CETA program in Tippecanoe County and the County Senior Center, and working as an executive at local tech startup MDBS. Her last position, as VP of Research and Data Acquisition with JewishGen, she often said was her favorite position of them all. She initiated new avenues of Jewish genealogy research, lectured widely on the subject, and received international awards and recognition in Time Magazine for her efforts. Joyce initiated projects which used new and emerging technologies so people could discover their roots and loved to connect with and be a resource for people worldwide who were engaged in Holocaust research.



Joyce was a Holocaust scholar, followed current events closely and was also a tireless advocate for progressive political causes and women's rights. She was active in many community and political organizations including The League of Women Voters. She shared a passion for and encyclopedic knowledge of opera with her father. She was a gourmet cook/baker, aficionado of fine wine, loved great conversation, the arts, and to read and travel. In high school, Joyce was an all-city violinist, and she resumed playing 72 years later at age 90. Joyce only recently learned the word "retirement." Everyone who met her fondly recalls her laughter and remembers her enthusiasm, energy, wide range of interests, passionate advocacy, and intellectual rigor. She will be sorely missed and would want to tell everyone to get out and vote.



Services will be private. Donations in her memory can be made to Planned Parenthood and League of Women Voters.