Joyce Eileen Provost

June 20, 1938 - March 17, 2021

Joyce Provost of Pacific Grove died peacefully on March 17th, after a two-month battle with Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Joyce was born in Bernardston, Massachusetts. A precocious and active child, she graduated from High School in 1955 at the age of 16. Excelling in Math and Science, but not yet licensed to drive, her mother drove her the two hours to Boston to interview for the nursing program at Boston Children's Hospital. The interviewer was impressed with her and encouraged her to get some medical experience to make sure this was the path she wanted to follow, as she was so young. Joyce returned to western Massachusetts and began working at the Newington Home and Hospital for Crippled Children (now Newington Children’s Hospital) and found the medical field to be one she loved. Offered an opportunity to move back to her hometown she entered a program for operating room technicians and traveled to Maine for an intensive course with Army nursing staff. She worked in the OR for eight years, thus beginning her career in caregiving.

In 1965 she met the love of her life, Bob, and they married and had three children. Besides caring for three rambunctious boys, Joyce worked as a medical office manager and in a radiology billing office. Following the death of her husband she “retired” to Pacific Grove in 2003 where, after a couple of weeks, she unretired and began work for the Central Coast Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) and Hospice. After retiring a second time, she volunteered regularly with the VNA immunization clinic, a place where she felt the ability to serve and made many valuable friends.

She is survived by three sons, Rob of Elbert, Colorado (Cindy), Ron of Pacific Grove (Kirsten), and Rick of Edmond, Oklahoma (Jessica); a brother Steve Petrin of Phoenix, Arizona; five grandsons; one beloved granddaughter; and one great-granddaughter she was delighted to be able to hold.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Central Coast VNA and Hospice (ccvna.com), her home away from home, or the Golden West Chapter of the ALS Association are appreciated. A celebration of life will be held in PG on her birthday, and she will be interred with her beloved Bob at Bushnell National Cemetery in Florida.