Joyce Ann Harper

Joyce Ann Harper, 85, of Rochester Hills, passed away on October 30, 2016, surrounded by her family. She was born in New York City on November 26, 1930 and although she spent over 30 years in Michigan, she still considered herself a “New Yorker”. She loved all things New York and returned several times over the years.

She so loved her family that her chosen profession was taking care of them. One of her passions was making sure that her family was able to travel and see the world. The family spent time living in Greece for five years, during which time she made arrangements for the family to visit most of Europe, Israel, Bulgaria and even Russia. She continued her love for travel well into retirement with her husband of 66 years, Bill Harper, who is survived by her. They traveled all across the country, with one of her favorite places being Hawaii.

In addition to travel, she loved games and puzzles, but most especially movies. Going to the movies every week with her mother when she was very young became a family tradition that continued all of her life, and a gift she passed along to her children. The annual Academy Awards were a major event in her life!

But most of all, she was a great wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Always with a listening ear, she was constantly there for those she knew and loved. And even some she didn’t; strangers who seemed to know they could bend her ear frequently stopped her. She would always listen and be kind.

In addition to her husband Bill of 66 years, she is survived by her children, Bill (Janice) Harper and Dianne (Jeff) Boyer. She is also survived by five grandchildren, Jennifer (Mike) Fleck, Brittany Harper, Matt Boyer, Scott Boyer and Brett Boyer, and the special women in her grandson’s lives- Coree Nangle, Riley Collins, and Kelsey Kochan. Also survived by her grand-dog and grand-kitties, Bandit, Zeus, Oscar and Winston.