Evan Joyce

1999 - 2021

Joyce, Evan Phillip

MADISON - Evan Phillip Joyce, born in Madison on Jan. 16, 1999, had a brilliant mind, a devastating curveball, a love of electronic music and a zeal for social justice. He also fought demons that grew out of depression and anxiety, as well as drug addiction, and took his own life on July 24, 2021. He was 22.

Evan grew up in Cross Plains and attended Middleton High School. He competed in spelling bees and devoured dystopian science fiction novels, but his real love was math, which came to him naturally. His tastes in music trended toward turntables and MIDI, and he adored seeing live shows with friends and his parents.

Though he sampled many sports, he spent his happiest summers on the baseball diamonds of western Dane County, competing with the Cross Plains Babe Ruth teams. As a pitcher, his success was due to keeping his calm when opposing hitters reached base. His C.P. teams won two state Senior Babe Ruth titles and competed in the regional playoffs in Indiana. But he may have had the most fun playing "fall ball" on teams made up of boys from across the area.

As the oldest grandchild, he was the predetermined babysitter at every gathering, a role he embraced. He loved watching movies with and reading aloud to his younger cousins. He also never denied a request to help in the kitchen or join a game with his older relatives, taking special delight in trading trash talk at the card table. He dominated playing Othello, always thinking several steps ahead, and gave his grandfather a run for his money on the golf course.

He arranged a tour of a battleship in San Diego, faced off against a chess master in Washington Square Park and climbed a mountain in Alaska. He was captivated by tropical fish exhibits, ate his way through the State Fair like a champion and interacted with tenderness and devotion to family pets. Sushi, barbecue, chicken and waffles, and homemade smoothies were some of his favorite foods. He taught his grandmother how to make pizza on the grill. He joined the crew that assembled the Ferris wheel at La Fete de Marquette.

Starting as a child, unfairness upset him. He questioned social norms he thought were unjust. He volunteered for nonprofit agencies, and during the summer of 2020, he joined the Black Lives Matter protests downtown.

The severity of Evan's bouts with mental illness changed with the seasons, so as distraught and self-destructive as he could be during the winter months, he pursued self-improvement and healing during many summers. He recently enrolled in a program at Madison College, hoping to pursue an engineering degree. But like many fighting anxiety and addiction, he set the bar high for himself and would withdraw into isolation and drug abuse if he fell short.

Evan is survived by his parents, Elizabeth Toth and Jason Joyce and Noel Johnson; grandparents, Brian and Karen Joyce, Gary and Mary Toth, Steve Johnson and Annette Johnson and Tom Jablonski; aunts and uncles, John and Jennifer Hannon, Keith and Dana Johnson and April Johnson; and many cousins and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Evan's name be made to Habitat for Humanity of Dane County or Cross Plains Youth Baseball. A private memorial service is being planned.