Joyce Carol Harmel

Joyce Harmel passed away peacefully Friday morning January 23, 2026 at the age of 85 in Santa Maria, CA after a long fight with Dementia.

Joyce Carol Julson was born November 25, 1940 in Plaza, North Dakota to Aubrey Julson and Leona (Jorgenson) Julson. She was 1 of 5 children, and attended the local school until graduating High School in 1958. After graduation, she moved with her close friend Sharon to Fargo, North Dakota to attend business college. After business college, she worked as a librarian in Fargo, and soon met the love of her life Richard Harmel.

Joyce and Richard were married on June 2, 1963 in Plaza, ND. They made their home in Fargo, ND while Richard finished school at North Dakota State University, and in 1966, they moved to Lompoc, CA and a year later to Orcutt, CA where they raised a family and lived for 58yrs. She worked as a bookkeeper for a local fence company for 30+ years, and retired in 1997 to travel extensively with Richard and friends.

Joyce was very active in retirement walking daily, volunteering at the Senior center in Orcutt and Marion Medical Center Hospital, playing Bonco with her friends, and quilting with the Quilting Guild in Old Orcutt. She regularly took classes at Allen Hancock Junior College, and spent countless weekends enjoying her grandchildren. Joyce loved visiting family and classmates in North Dakota and Minnesota every summer, and she traveled extensively with close friends.

Joyce will be remembered as a gentle and kind soul, an amazing cook, a wonderful wife, an amazing mother, and a fantastic grandmother and great grandmother. We are blessed to have had such a special Mom, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother in our lives. She is survived and loved by her children Scott Harmel (Reno, NV), Stephanie (Harmel) Rolando (Santa Maria, CA), 3 grandchildren (Travis, Mallory, and Aubrey), and 1 great granddaughter (Layla). She is preceded in death by her parents Aubrey and Leona, husband Richard, sister LaVonne, and 3 brothers Keith, Ronnie, and Curtis.

A celebration of life is planned for July 11th in Orcutt, CA - details will follow. Looking forward to seeing friends and family enjoy a Santa Maria style BBQ, and celebrate the life of Joyce.