Joyce T. Ames
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Joyce T. Ames, of Fayetteville, died peacefully on December 25, at Iroquois Nursing Home. She struggled with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s for several years, but she finally succumbed to Covid 19.
Joyce was born in Brooklyn on May 30, 1938, the daughter of Rhea and Samuel Surnamer. She grew up on Long Island; first in Freeport and then in Rockville Center. She graduated from Baldwin High School and Adelphi University, with a degree in speech therapy.
She met Ira, the love of her life, when they were teenagers. They were married in 1958, and were a couple for sixty-two years. They moved to Fayetteville in 1968, when Ira accepted a position at Upstate Medical Center. It was in Fayetteville that they raised their two children, Michael and Sarah.
Joyce was passionate about raising her children and quilting, and she was a master at both. She worked for many years at the Fabric Barn, a well known fabric store in Fayetteville, and was an active member of the Towpath Quilt Guild. She gladly volunteered her time and talents at the Jewish Home of CNY and the Fayetteville Free Library. The Ames family had a membership at Willow bank Yacht Club in Cazenovia for many years, and Joyce enjoyed watching her kids learn to swim and sail. The family bought a camp on Tuscarora Lake in 1986. Her favorite activity at camp was Kayaking in her orange boat, that she named Melo in honor of Carmello Anthony.
Joyce and Ira enjoyed music, and for many years they had season tickets for the Syracuse Symphony. They were also avid SU basketball fans, and held season tickets for a long time, until her Parkinson’s made it difficult for her to walk up to the Dome.
The highlight of the year for Joyce and Ira was spending two weeks with their kids on the rocky coast of Maine in New Harbor. They did this for forty years. Mike and Sarah loved to fish, go crabbing, swim in the frigid water, and play with new friends, while the adults on the trip looked at antiques and artwork. We consumed an obscene amount of sea food while there.
Joyce’s family includes her husband, Ira, their children, Michael (Carol) and Sarah (Tony), five grandchildren, Ben, Rachael, Rebecca, Lauren and Nathan, her brother, Martin Surnamer, and several nieces.
She was a member of Temple Concord. Due to the pandemic, a memorial service will not be held at this time and Shiva cannot be observed. Donations in her memory can be made to the Temple or the Alzheimer’s Association.
Joyce will be dearly missed by family, friends, and her lovely dog Leah.
www.sisskindfuneralservice.com
Message of Sympathy
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I’m so sad to read this. Joyce was my locker room friend at the YMCA over the past 10 years. I only learned of her last name about three years ago. I often helped her get her lock undone or sometimes find her clothes, we talked a lot about books in the library. I was surprised to hear when she went into a nursing home by another woman in the locker room because I thought she was doing great. Then all of a sudden she stopped coming to the gym? I knew little of her background really except that she did have children and dogs and I knew her husband by site, but he didn’t know me. I’ve always read the obituaries to see if she would show up. And, Here she is today. My dear friend Joyce, my locker room buddy, a community that very few people know about. The women’s locker room at the East area YMCA was a special place. We all chatted daily, helped each other, and knew details many did not ha ha . I miss the gym, having not been back since Covid and I will miss my locker room buddy and friend. RIP Joyce.
Written by Sandra Bargainnier
2020-12-27 3:13:18 PM
My heartfelt condolences. Many days I was privileged to sit by Joyce during meals while I was feeding my own mother at the nursing home. Joyce loved to talk about sewing with me. Her quilts I am sure will be a wonderful part of her legacy.
Written by Ilene Stephens
2020-12-27 6:16:08 PM
I also knew Joyce from the YMCA locker room. I never learned her last name and wondered if she had fallen ill when I stopped seeing her at the Y. We would run into each other very often, even when we went to the gym at odd times of the day. It gave us reason to laugh. Joyce had such a welcoming smile. I will miss seeing her in the locker room.
Written by Jane Arras
2020-12-28 1:25:05 PM
Post a Message of Sympathy
I’m so sad to read this. Joyce was my locker room friend at the YMCA over the past 10 years. I only learned of her last name about three years ago. I often helped her get her lock undone or sometimes find her clothes, we talked a lot about books in the library. I was surprised to hear when she went into a nursing home by another woman in the locker room because I thought she was doing great. Then all of a sudden she stopped coming to the gym? I knew little of her background really except that she did have children and dogs and I knew her husband by site, but he didn’t know me. I’ve always read the obituaries to see if she would show up. And, Here she is today. My dear friend Joyce, my locker room buddy, a community that very few people know about. The women’s locker room at the East area YMCA was a special place. We all chatted daily, helped each other, and knew details many did not ha ha . I miss the gym, having not been back since Covid and I will miss my locker room buddy and friend. RIP Joyce.
Written by Sandra Bargainnier
2020-12-27 3:13:18 PM
My heartfelt condolences. Many days I was privileged to sit by Joyce during meals while I was feeding my own mother at the nursing home. Joyce loved to talk about sewing with me. Her quilts I am sure will be a wonderful part of her legacy.
Written by Ilene Stephens
2020-12-27 6:16:08 PM
I also knew Joyce from the YMCA locker room. I never learned her last name and wondered if she had fallen ill when I stopped seeing her at the Y. We would run into each other very often, even when we went to the gym at odd times of the day. It gave us reason to laugh. Joyce had such a welcoming smile. I will miss seeing her in the locker room.
Written by Jane Arras
2020-12-28 1:25:05 PM