Joyce Harms
Joyce Marie Harms died Oct. 10, 2017, at UCHealth in Aurora at the age of 67. Joyce was born Feb. 15, 1950, in Holyoke to Chester “Chet” Conrad Harms and Edith Marie Biesemeier Harms and was their only child.
Shortly after her parents were married, her dad was drafted into the Army and took his basic training at Paso Robles, California. Her mom also went to California, but Chet was shipped directly to Germany in December 1944 and took part in the final months of World War II, including the Battle of the Bulge, while Edith waited anxiously at home.
Following Chet’s return home in 1946, he and Edith lived and farmed south of Paoli. Then in 1957, the three of them moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where Joyce grew up attending Glendale schools and church while her mom became the head pastry decorator at a prominent local bakery and her dad worked in water well maintenance throughout the Phoenix area.
After high school, Joyce started working in a plus-size women’s clothing store called Lady Mardens in the Maryvale Shopping Center. She was 18 years old at that time, became assistant manager that same year and made lifelong friends with co-workers. A few years later, she completed a fashion merchandising program in 1971.
Joyce went on to work at the Valley West Mall branch store for several years before she moved to another store, Catherine’s, in the Metro Center. There she enjoyed her position as district manager and the opportunity to travel to other branch stores in Tucson, Arizona, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Joyce was also an excellent cook and enjoyed entertaining the many family members and friends who went to Phoenix to visit and escape cold winter weather. In the 1990s Joyce quit working to focus on some serious health issues and to be more of a caregiver for her parents.
Because of the declining health of Edith and Chet, Joyce moved them to Holyoke in June 2001, and her parents became residents of the nursing home. Joyce returned to Phoenix to pack up and move the family’s possessions to her new home on Emerson Street in Holyoke in October of 2002. Edith died in 2002 and Chet in 2006. Joyce took wonderful care of her parents and spent many hours volunteering almost daily in the nursing home.
Joyce belonged to FCE and the Women’s Fellowship since moving to Holyoke and Epsilon Sigma Alpha throughout much of her life. She was also an active member of Hope Baptist Church in Phoenix and later First Christian Church in Holyoke, where she rarely missed Sunday classes and services.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents.
Her family surviving her includes her uncle, Quentin “Bud” Biesemeier of Haxtun; aunt, JoAnn and husband Larry Deremo of Dove Creek; and cousins, Ken and wife Lynette Harms of Paoli, Nancy and husband Rob Dee of Haxtun, Lyle and wife Ginny Craig Deremo of Durango, Connie and husband Don Reutter of Worland, Wyoming, Rick and wife Linda Deremo of Dove Creek, Brian and wife Lori Biesemeier of Sedgwick, and Kathy and husband Byron Maine of Greeley.
Funeral services were held Oct. 16 at First Christian Church of Holyoke, with Pastor Merle Powell officiating. Interment was at the Haxtun Cemetery.
Memorial contributions in Joyce’s honor should be made to the First Christian Church in Holyoke.
Baucke Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.