Joyce (Jo) was born to Homer Merrill and Lorna Vivian (Oliver) Le Bonte in Gary, Indiana. Before graduating from Lowell High School she performed the part of “Jo” in their production of “Little Women” thus earning her affectionate nick name. It was there in school that she met the love of her life, William (Bill) Foster Alger to whom she was married for over 62 years until his death in 2004.
Joyce is also preceded in death by her daughters Judi Smith (Chet Dyniewski), formerly of Valparaiso Indiana and Kay Alger, formerly of Denver. She is survived by son Larry (Sandy) Alger of Waterloo, Iowa, and daughters Marcia Pasquale of Denver and Janice (Scott) Lakey of Aurora. Additionally, she was blessed with seven grandchildren, nine great grandchildren and seven twice great grandchildren. Her eldest grandchild, Cheryl Parry of Valparaiso, Indiana was so close in age to her youngest daughter and spent so much time with the family that she often jokingly referred to her as the sixth child. Although she is predeceased by four siblings, she is survived by her sister Lea Mathias of Wheat Ridge and brother George Lloyd Le Bonte of Hickory Corners, Michigan.
After Bill returned to Indiana from serving in WWII , the growing family moved to Iowa where they spent many happy years and then on to Colorado for many more while also spending a short time in Idaho and Washington. After retiring, they moved to Arizona. For years their children referred to their time in the Northwest and Arizona as the time Mom and Dad ran away from home. Jo returned to Colorado after Bill’s death in 2004.
In addition to raising five children, she taught Sunday school and was very active in her church while she was physically able. She also worked in retail including both the locally memorable Woolworth and Woolco stores and made life long friends there. She was the ultimate hostess and enjoyed entertaining, painting, embroidery, reading (she loved a good mystery) and writing in her limited spare time.
During a particularly blessed period of her life with Bill they made several trips to Europe with opportunities to see and enjoy some of the greatest examples of art, architecture and music, of course sampling the cuisine along the way. Some of her most memorable times there were those spent at both the simple reverent places of Christian history and worship and within the magnificent cathedrals at which she marveled.
Having moved frequently while growing up, and being the wife of an outgoing musician, she always had the ability to make friends quickly but always genuinely. More importantly, many of these friendships lasted a lifetime.
Jo passed peacefully at her daughter’s home where she resided the past few years and so begins her blessed eternity with our Lord.
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