Obituary of Joyce A. VanVleet

Joyce Anne VanVleet, age 88, of Montour Falls, NY, passed away peacefully in her sleep Monday, April 17, 2023 at the Huntington Living Center in Waterloo, NY. No newcomer to the "Land Between the Lakes" and a direct descendant of Ezekiel VanVleet and George Faussett, Joyce's family has lived here since 1789. Joyce started school at the one room school house in Caywood, which she loved to speak about, and graduated from the Odessa Montour Central School. In her early days, Joyce and her sister Jean picked many apples and cherries at their farm on the hill in Lodi. She worked at her grandfather's Red and White Store. With her sister Jean, Joyce led a Girl Scout Troop and took figure skating lessons at Cornell's Lynah Rink. Joyce was a life-long and very active member of the Order of the Eastern Star and a faithful member and servant of the Montour Falls United Methodist Church, serving for many years as treasurer and in the choir. She was always working on things like church dinners, VBS or rummage sales. A lover of music, Joyce was a member of the Peach Orchard Music Society, the Elmira Choral Society, and Odessa Montour combined choir cantatas organized by Kim Laursen. Joyce worked her entire work career at Shepherd Niles in Montour, working in the accounting and payroll. She was a member of the Montour Village Planning Board of Appeals and was on the election board for many years. She was a proud member of the Red Hat Society. Joyce was a 70 year member of the Order of the Eastern Star joining on December 3, 1952. She was a member of the Fern Tyrone Chapter #142. Joyce was Grand Representative to Wyoming in 1965 and 1966, and District Deputy Grand Matron, Chemung Schuyler Tioga District in 1992. She held several offices in three Chapters including Matron and Treasurer. Joyce enjoyed spending summers at her cottage at Lodi Point with her friends whom she also went out to lunch with twice a week. Joyce LOVED to go out with her friends for lunch two and three times a week. She was predeceased by her parents: Helen Brown and Sidney Warner VanVleet, and her beloved sister Jean Vera VanVleet. She leaves two surviving cousins: John "Jack" Newman (Jill Shove) of Rose, NY, and Robert Mark Brown of Lodi. Joyce loved her dear extended family including Mary Personius (1921-2012), Vicki Cadwell, Ruthie Hayes, Mary Tilinghast and Richard Little, but "Little Zach" Little was her favorite. The family would like to extend their deepest appreciation to those caregivers who have cared for Joyce day and night since last June: Hannah Rose, Gracie Johnson, Laura Reynolds, Antoinette Morse, Siera Carbone, and Damion Brown. A special thanks as well to Joyce's loyal tenant and ever-watching angel upstairs, Wendy Drake. Relatives and friends are invited to call on Sunday, April 23, 2023 from 1-2 pm at the Montour Falls United Methodist Church, 124 Owego St., Montour Falls, NY. Joyce's memorial service will follow at 2:00 pm. Burial will be in Montour Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Joyce's memory to the Montour Falls United Methodist Church or the Order of the Eastern Star Fern-Tyrone Chapter #142.