Joyce P. Celms

Joyce Priscilla (Stevens) Celms, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025 with her family lovingly by her side. She died in her home on a peaceful winter night, with a quiet backdrop of freshly fallen snow – one of her favorite things.
Joyce passed away after a valiant nine months on hospice care, amazing us all with her "Viking" spirit to forge on. This achievement was in no little part due to the unparalleled care of her loving daughter, Ali, and team of PCAs, friends, and family, who helped Joyce achieve her wish to get back into her wheelchair and out onto her porch again, where she loved to sit and relax in the sun. We were overjoyed that she was able to do this several times throughout the summer and fall, before saying her final goodbye.
Joyce was born on March 27, 1949 to Elsie A. Stevens (Olson) and Shirley E. Stevens of Holbrook, MA. She grew up in Holbrook – in the same beloved home that she passed away in – and would often recount fond memories of a happy childhood spent with her loving parents, mischievous older brother, Paul, and adoring little sister, Nancy. The family's wiener dog, Katrinka, also made a frequent appearance in Joyce's favorite stories.
Joyce graduated from Holbrook High School with the Class of 1967. She went on to receive her bachelor's degree from Heidelberg College in Ohio, and then a master's degree in education from Boston University. Joyce spent several years teaching hearing impaired students in the Boston area before meeting her future husband, John V. Celms, at a Harvard University party. Joyce often talked about that wonderful first summer with John, introducing him to her beloved Cape Cod with its postcard-perfect sand dunes, lobster shacks, and stunning coastline. The two were married not long after in Brockton, MA on Aug. 7, 1976.
After marrying, Joyce moved to Tacoma, WA, where she and John welcomed their firstborn daughter, Elizabeth, followed soon by Alexandra and Karlis, and then a couple years later by "baby Krista," after moving to Mercer Island. Joyce loved being a mother and raising her four children was undoubtedly one of the greatest joys of her life. Her love for children was matched only by her grace and beauty as a mother – she absolutely radiated. Never a dull moment with four kids, Elizabeth, Ali, Karlis, and Krista gave Joyce as many laughs and "gray hairs" with their youthful antics as they did tender memories that she would never forget.
Joyce loved to travel, returning often to her beloved New England, where she would spend summers with her mother, the children's "Mormor," and her many aunties, cousins, and friends. Joyce also travelled to Europe numerous times in her life. She visited Sweden, where she spent an idyllic summer as a teenager, as well as touring England, Italy, and Latvia with John and the kids. In her late 50s, she spent two adventurous tourist seasons working in Juneau, Alaska.
Perhaps above all, Joyce will be remembered for her timeless beauty, fashion, and good taste, whether it was putting together an elegant outfit, turning heads with a chic new haircut, or hosting a dinner party that would rival Martha Stewart's. She truly enjoyed entertaining, particularly during the holidays for family and close friends. Her beauty was beyond compare, inside and out.
In 2012, Joyce suffered a tragic fall that left her paralyzed from the neck down. Recovering from this accident and adjusting to life in a wheelchair was the greatest challenge of her life, but she met it with courage, fortitude, and spirit. With support, Joyce gradually accepted her disability and improved her strength, even learning to walk with assistance at Journey Forward, a gym for those with spinal cord injuries. In time, she was thriving again with renewed appreciation for life's simple joys: weekends with family, trips to Boston or Cape Cod, daily phone calls with friends, and precious moments spent with her two grandchildren, Julian and Augie, who she adored. Joyce spent nearly 14 years living as a quadriplegic, inspiring us all with her resilience, positive outlook, and determination to make the most of every single day that she was gifted, until the very end.
Joyce is survived by her children: Elizabeth (Celms) Johnsen, Alexandra Celms, Karlis Celms, and Krista Celms; the father of her children, John Celms; and her sister, Nancy Stevens. She is also survived by two grandchildren: Julian Johnsen and August "Augie" Johnsen; her son-in-law, Corey Johnsen; the larger Celms and Stevens families, and many friends who loved her. She is preceded in death by her brother, Paul Stevens.
Close family and friends are respectfully invited to attend a memorial visitation on Sunday, Jan. 11 from 2:00-4:00pm at Cartwright Funeral Home in Holbrook, MA (69 South Franklin St.) A Celebration of Life will be held in Seattle later this summer, details to come.
To honor Joyce, the family is accepting donations to Spaudling Rehabilitation Hospital https://spauldingrehab.org/giving/ways-to-give and Journey Forward https://journey-forward.org/, two places that made an invaluable difference in her life living with quadriplegia. The family is also accepting flowers sent to Cartwright Funeral Home for the memorial.