Joyce Bristow

Born: May 25, 1918

Place: Culver, Kansas

She grew up on a farm in Kansas doing the normal duties any Kansas girl at the time would have done. Chores on the farm were arduous to say the least but she persevered. Her parents Jay and Virginia Byrns later moved the family to California seeking better opportunities for employment following the depression.

They arrived in California where Virginia started her own seamstress business while Jay joined the carpenters union seeking work. Joyce attended Alhambra High School while working at J.J. Newberry’s as a clerk. In later years she would graduate high school in 1935 and began working at Bank of America and later Prudential Savings as a loan officer. She retired from these endeavors and assumed the fulltime duties of housewife and mother.

Joyce married Thomas Bristow in 1936 and together they managed to survive WW II. Thomas left the Army after the war ended and returned to the Post Office job he had left.

In 1948 they had a son Thomas Bristow Jr. and moved from their over the garage apartment, to a new house in Temple City, California. Joyce and Thomas moved later to another house in Temple City and Orange and lastly to her home in Carlsbad.

Joyce’s parents passed away, Jay in 1974 and Virginia in 1993. Thomas Sr. passed away in 1978. She lived alone in her home in Orange for 42 years and as her health changed moved to her Carlsbad home to be near her son and family.

Joyce spent many years as a volunteer for the Red Cross and received numerous awards for her participation. She was a life member of their Emblem Club and had been active in other organizations as well for many years.

Joyce loved her baking goodies, cookies, brownies, pies of every description including some “mystery” concoctions only she could produce. She delighted in the weekly visits of the family who would always go away with a container of this or that with something she had prepared for them.

Joyce passed away January 10, 2012, following her battle with lung cancer and Sjorgrens Syndrome.

Joyce is survived by her son Thomas, daughter- in- law Pamela Bristow, grandsons, Jeffrey Bristow and Christopher Bristow, great grandchildren Aseret Bristow and Kiefer Bristow.

Joyce will be greatly missed by all who knew her and had come in touch with her gentle nature.

By, Her Son