Joyce E. Spenard

Joyce E. Spenard, R.N., 86, of Forest City, died Sunday at Hospice of the Sacred Heart, Dunmore. She was the widow of Edmund N. Spenard, who died Oct. 8, 2002.

Born in Forest City, daughter of the late George and Mary Benarick Strus, she was a member of St. John's Byzantine Catholic Church, Forest City. She was a 1953 graduate of Forest City High School and then graduated from St. Joseph's School of Nursing, Carbondale, in 1956. While she worked as a registered nurse for the Veterans Administration hospitals in both New York City and Philadelphia, she attended Hunter College and then the University of Pennsylvania. After many years of big city life, she returned to Forest City to help care for her aging mother. She continued her career in nursing as an evening supervisor at St. Joseph's Hospital and then became an instructor at St. Joseph's School of Nursing. She married the love of her life, Edmund Spenard, and relocated to New Jersey, working part-time at various hospitals. After 1975, she returned yet again to Forest City due to her husband being a government special agent who got transferred to the Scranton office. She then worked more than 20 years at the Forest City Nursing Home and Rehab Center. Joyce loved her profession and was willing to help anyone she could. She had a spontaneous, witty sense of humor and used it frequently to bring laughter as well as encouragement to others. Her life was measured not in years, but by the amount of care, compassion and kindness she showed to others. Her faith was of the utmost importance to her and everyone knew of her great love and reverence for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She was a member of St. Joseph's Auxiliary, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Professional Business Women's Association, the Red Hat Society and the Forest City Historical Society. Her pastimes included bowling, golfing, reading, shopping and of course, caring for and helping others. Her greatest joys were her daughter, Lynn, and her grandchildren who she loved dearly.

Surviving are a daughter, Lynn Ontl and husband, Randy, Davenport, N.Y.; three grandchildren, Joseph, Ezra, and Michael Ontl; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was also preceded in death by eight brothers, Joseph, John, Michael, Andrew, Leo, Paul, Thomas and George Strus; and five sisters, Catherine Calafut, Anne Shedlock, Helen Mehalco, Marion Kolcun and Dorothy Babich.

The funeral will be Thursday with services at 11 a.m. in St. John's Byzantine Catholic Church, Susquehanna Street, Forest City. Entombment, Our Mother of Sorrows Mausoleum, Finch Hill. As per her request, there will be no public viewing. Arrangements by the Jones & Brennan Funeral Home, 430 Main St., Forest City.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Forest City Library, 531 Main St., Forest City, PA 18421.

For directions or to send online condolences, visit the funeral home website.