Joy Ann Shamah

1944 - 2021

Joy Ann Shamah Joy Ann Shamah died on Wednesday morning, November 24, 2021 in Santa Rosa, CA. She was 77 years old. Joy was born in London, England on March 19, 1944 to David and Maria Sabel. She and her sister, Jeannette, grew up there. Joy met Eliahu Shamah at a youth group retreat in 1964. They married in 1966 and moved to the United States, first to Madison, Wisconsin. They lived in Chicago, Illinois; Munster, Indiana; and Naperville, Illinois before deciding the Midwest winters were too cold, finally settling in San Rafael, California with their three children, Devora, Ben, and Gadi. They retired to Santa Rosa in 2009. As a secretary, Joy was fluent in shorthand, and in the 1980s taught herself to use an electric typewriter and then a computer. She served as a secretary at a number of organizations, starting at Hillel in Madison, and then working several years at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. After taking time to stay at home with her children, she returned to work in California, first at Rodef Shalom and later as an executive assistant at the Jewish Community Center of Marin. Joy was a voracious reader her whole life. She was a loyal patron of her local libraries every place she lived and always had a stack of books on the nightstand. She loved mysteries (starting with Agatha Christie), fiction, and really any book that was well written. She also became an avid walker as an adult, and her friends at Varenna in Santa Rosa will remember many chilly morning walks. While living at Varenna, she learned to play Mahjong, a game she loved for the friends she met at the table. She loved marmite and stinky cheese and dark chocolate, good tea, and really dark coffee. She adored her cats and spent many years volunteering at the Marin Humane Society. Her love of words made her a fierce Scrabble player and she and her sister spent the past few decades challenging each other in multiple games at a time, all played online. She was loved by many and will be dearly missed. Joy is survived by her husband of 55 years, Eli Shamah of Santa Rosa, CA; daughter Devora Shamah of Molalla, Oregon; son Gadi Shamah (wife Sarah White Bournakel) and their children Nicos Bournakel and Teo Shamah of Park City, Utah; and her niece and nephews: Mark, Michelle, and Adam Tobias of England. Predeceased by her sister, Jeannette Patricia Tobias and her son, Benjamin Nathan Shamah. Donations in her memory can be made to Marin Humane Society or your local library.