Joyce Ellen Bushey

Joyce Ellen Bushey of St. Albans died peacefully in her sleep on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at Homestead Senior Living in St. Albans. She was 91 years of age.

Born on August 15, 1934, Joyce was the daughter of the late Raymond George Bushey and Clara Edith Kenyon of St. Albans. Joyce lived out her entire life on upper Congress Street in St. Albans, first in her childhood home, then in her own home on the same property next door, nestled between Hard'ack Hill and the old Hill Farm, a natural area that most certainly influenced her outlook on life.

Joyce graduated from Bellows Free Academy in 1953 and pursued further training in Montreal in the healthcare field. For the following years, Joyce worked as a Lab Technician, first at St. Albans Hospital and later at Fletcher Allen Healthcare.

What most defined Joyce's life was her great love for animals, nature, and the great outdoors. From an early age, she was an avid horseback rider and shared this love with others by providing riding lessons to neighborhood children. She later built a small barn on the Bushey property where she kept her own horses and raised pigs and beef cattle. She cared for many cats and dogs throughout her life.

Joyce could be seen riding her tractor around her property well into her eighties. She maintained the last operating livestock farm within the city of St. Albans until she said goodbye to her last animals in 2021.

Joyce was also a skilled hunter. She enjoyed visiting game reserves in Vermont, where she successfully captured deer, ram, boar, and bison.

Joyce is survived by two nieces and a nephew and their spouses: Michelle Bushey of Granby, MA; Christine Elwood and her husband David of St. Albans; and Matthew Bushey and his wife Karen of Burlington VT. She is also survived by many great nieces and nephews, cousins, and close friends. Joyce is predeceased by her parents and her twin brother John Bushey, who passed away in 2016.

Joyce was a member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in St. Albans.

Services will be private and at the convenience of Joyce's family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Franklin County Animal Rescue, 30 Sunset Meadows, St. Albans, Vermont 05478.

Arrangements are by the Heald Funeral Home, where messages of condolence are welcome at www.healdfuneralhome.com.