Florence Joyce Boush

Florence Joyce Boush

F. Joyce Boush, of Centennial, Colo., died of complications from massive bilateral cerebral strokes on Sept. 19, 2009, at Littleton Adventist Hospital in Littleton, Colo. She was 76.

"Joyce was devoted to the happiness and well-being of everyone she loved," said her family. "Her faith and sheer determination carried her through life's hardships, and she always had a smile and encouraging word to offer."

Known as "Joyce" by her family and friends, Florence Joyce Hall was born to Ernest Hugh Lancelot and Lucy Dorothy "Dot" Hall at Victoria Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on March 11, 1933.

She and her younger sisters, Connie and Janice, spent their early childhood years in Solsgirth, Manitoba, a small town of about 250 residents. Here, her father worked as a grain elevator operator.

Joyce was an active child who enjoyed playing outdoors and with her dolls. She also began her lifelong love of cooking and baking when just a young girl.

In 1945, when Joyce was 12, the Hall family moved to Saltcoats, Saskatchewan, where her father co-owned and co-operated a John Deere dealership and garage. Joyce later recalled how each morning before school she would cross the fields behind her house to fetch fresh milk for the family from a dairy farm. She also talked fondly of attending lakeside community picnics held every Sunday after church.

Joyce graduated from Saltscoats High School in 1951. While in high school, she worked at the local drugstore to earn extra money for the family. Every payday, she would purchase a tea cup and saucer from the store as a gift for her mother.

In September 1951, Joyce moved to Regina, Saskatchewan, to begin nursing training at Regina General Hospital. Her father died two months later in November at age 45. She remained close to her mother, who lived another 30 years before dying in 1981.

Joyce graduated as a registered nurse in 1954 and worked in Regina before moving to California's Central Coast in 1956 with a girlfriend. Joyce had developed arthritis and was following her doctor's suggestion to move to a region with a milder climate.

Joyce met Andrew Conrad Boush at a barn dance in Bakersfield in 1957, and the couple married on December 28 of that year at Angeles Mesa Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. They had four children and raised them together before the marriage ended in divorce in 1976.

After marrying, the couple settled in the Los Angeles area, and Joyce became a full-time wife and mother. Their first daughter, Andrea Dawn, was born in 1959, followed by daughters Karen Yvonne in 1960 and Diane Elizabeth in 1962. The family moved to Warren Township, N.J., in 1964, and a fourth child, son David Charles, was born in Plainsfield, N.J., in 1966.

Joyce formally became an American citizen on June 1, 1962. She remained extremely proud of her U.S. citizenship throughout her life and liked to show her patriotism by flying the American flag outside her house on Independence Day.

In 1972, the Boush family moved to Littleton, and Joyce remained in the area for the rest of her life.

After she was divorced and her children began leaving home to attend college, Joyce resumed her career. In the early 1980s, she was the office manager for Moran Exploration in downtown Denver. After completing medical and business courses at Arapahoe Community College, Joyce renewed her nursing certification in the mid-1980s. For the next ten years, she worked as a staff nurse at various area hospitals, including Porter Hospital and Swedish Medical Center in Denver and Littleton Adventist Hospital.

In the mid-1990s, Joyce worked as a case manager for Colorado Access before health concerns forced her retirement in 1999.

During the last decade of her life, Joyce enjoyed keeping in close touch with family and friends. She especially cherished her two grandchildren, twins Ben and Amy, who were born in 2001 and quickly became the light of her life. She took immense pleasure in helping care for the twins as infants and watching them grow. She loved to shower them with gifts, homemade meals, and hugs.
Joyce was an avid reader and especially liked reading historical fiction and mystery novels, the Bible and daily inspiration books, and her horoscope. She also liked staying up-to-date on current news and events and without fail read the daily newspaper and watched local and national news on television.
Joyce was a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Denver, the Denver Art Museum, and the Republican Party. She loved going out for Mexican food, shopping at Wild Oats, and cheering on the Denver Broncos and other local sports teams.
Her favorite outdoor activities included picnicking in the mountains surrounding Evergreen and strolling along California's beaches. Her favorite singers were Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.

Joyce will be greatly missed. She is survived by daughters Andrea Dawn LeClaire of Denver, Karen Yvonne Boush of Boulder, and Diane Elizabeth Boush of Centennial; son David Charles Boush and son-in-law Michael LeClaire, both of Denver; grandson Benjamin Andrew LeClaire and granddaughter Amelia Elizabeth LeClaire, both of Denver; step-grandsons Matt LeClaire of Castle Rock and Jeff LeClaire of Denver; sisters Constance Elaine (John) Voth of Manitou, Manitoba, and Janice Berniece Robinson of Regina, Saskatchewan; sister-in-law Barbara Dade of Santa Barbara, Calif.; nephews Joel (Shelley) Voth of Morden, Manitoba, Michael (Nikki) Voth of Dallas, Texas, Lance (Alejandra) Robinson of Nanaimo, British Columbia, Shawn Robinson of Calgary, Alberta, and Brian (Erika) Dade of Norwich, Vermont; niece Susie (Kent) Dade of Seattle, Wash.; and cousins Brian (Shirley) Hall and Ron Parks, both of Santa Maria, Calif.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association or the Make-a-Wish Foundation.