Joyce LoPresti

Joyce LoPresti, age 63, of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, left this earth to dance with angels on September 2, 2022. Surrounded and supported by devoted friends and family throughout her illness, her beloved sister Gail and her close friend BreAnn Whiat were by her side at her transition. Rather than fighting her illness, Joyce was committed to the transformation of all parts of herself, including her cancer. In her unwavering joy and light, Joyce touched the lives of many as a teacher of grace, hope, and believing in all possibilities.

She was born June 30, 1959 in Morristown, NJ, daughter of the late Lewis and Juanita (Horstmann) LoPresti. Joyce grew up in the small community of Hope, NJ and graduated from Belvidere High School in her junior year in 1976. She later graduated from Arizona State University in Phoenix, AZ with a bachelor's degree majoring in communication and a minor in voice. She resided in Arizona and Puerto Rico for most of her adult life.

After college, Joyce was an account manager at Herman Miller, in Phoenix, using her exceptional interpersonal skills and creative vision in designing and selling products for aesthetic corporate workspaces. After a successful run in this career, she then found her true calling in the healing arts. She became a Reiki Master and an advanced practitioner in Ancient Chinese Medicine. Joyce was a co-founder of the Foundation for Happiness and Enlightenment, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to uplifting humanity. She was involved with Siddha Yoga for over 30 years, and was very active in her local center in PR, offering seva (service) there as well as at Shree Muktananda Ashram in NY whenever she visited. She also had trained to become a yoga teacher, and often used this skill in her healing work.

Joyce's radiant smile was her calling card and welcomed all, always connecting with others from her heart, whether it be her friends, family, clients, or a passing interaction with a stranger. Very early on, Joyce pursued a deeper understanding of spirituality. Her curious and explorative nature led her to her love of Jesus Christ, Buddha, the Guru lineage of Siddha Yoga path, the Hopi Tribe, Lao Tzu, and also had an affinity for Judaism and Taoism. She felt Source in all walks of faith and carried this love in her healing and care for others.

Joyce loved life and rejoiced in the simple things. She loved to connect with nature. Beginning in the early days of growing up on her family farm in Hope, she became an avid equestrian and she continued to ride and jump horses after moving to PR. She also loved to help in her mother's garden, and often helped in her friends' gardens when visiting. She particularly loved walking in forests and playing in the ocean. She had a deep love for swimming and was doing 60 laps daily in her pool only a couple of months before her transition.

Joyce loved music and had a beautiful singing voice that often filled the air with melodies: from chants, folk, pop, to jazz standards. She particularly loved jazz and could often be found enjoying her favorite artists at the historic Deer Head Inn in Delaware Water Gap, PA whenever she was in town visiting. She sought out music everywhere she traveled, dancing at every opportunity, including sometimes between the tables at the Deerhead!

Joyce is survived by her brother Gary (Donna) LoPresti of Hope, NJ; sisters Gail Rose of Lebanon, OH and Carol (Richard) Tedrick of Wilmington, OH, as well as numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. She is also survived by her close friends, who she also considered family, including: her former husband, Howard Watson of Thailand, who remained a good friend, her dear friend and business partner, BreAnn Whiat of Maine, and her best friend of almost 50 years, Mary Jane (Ken) Kuehn Aulicino, whose home she lived in while seeking treatment in NJ over the past two years.

In addition to her parents, Joyce was preceded in death by her brother Robert, her friends and teachers Alice and Joel Seigneur, and longtime partner and love, Jerry Harris, with whom she shared a love for Jazz. They could always be heard laughing and singing together - and probably are once again!

A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held in late spring in NJ.

The MSK Cancer Center and the Foundation for Happiness and Enlightenment were important organizations, dear to her heart. Joyce also believed in people having options. If you'd like to donate, please choose whichever organization you'd like.

MSK Cancer Center Donation Page

Foundation for Happiness and Enlightenment Donation Page