Great Aunt Joyce was a beaming ray of human sunshine. She and I began calling each other consistently when the pandemic hit. I knew that whenever I was feeling down or lonely I could call Aunt Joyce and get an injection of optimism and laughter to pick me up. It was especially meaningful to grow closer with her as I was planning my wedding that year- our first wedding venue burned down, and there was so much uncertainty with the pandemic. But Aunt Joyce was reassuring, telling me the story of how she planned her wedding in 3 weeks. She told me how she and Robert knew each other since they were 5 years old. They were Mary and Joseph in their Catholic school play. They went on a date to a movie when she was 13, and later dated in high school. Robert wrote to her saying "If you can write as much as you talk, I'll have the most mail in the army!"😂 They fell in love and decided to get married. Aunt Joyce told me how if she could plan the wedding in 3 weeks, they could have a 40 day long honeymoon. She was worried because she knew her sister took a whole year to plan her wedding, but she decided she could do it. She bought a dress that would arrive in time, and then Hurricane Hazel knocked in the window of the bridal salon her dress was at. It still arrived, and she got her dress! She booked the venue, then changed it one week before the wedding because she found out that the original venue was going to be hosting two other weddings at the same time as hers, and she wanted something more private. She told me it was a beautiful day, with her bridesmaids wearing coral colored dresses. The limousine driver said they were the happiest wedding party he had ever seen🤍 I was the luckiest to get to hear so many of Aunt Joyce's stories. She loved her family more than anything, and I've loved getting to know everyone through her eyes. She was a badass woman who wasn't afraid to say how she felt about politics and the state of the world. I'll think of her every time I make a voter guide and cast a ballot. She always told me that babies were her favorite people, and I'm so glad I got to share mine with her, even just over the phone. Aunt Joyce will be missed deeply.
Let the memory of Joyce be with us forever.
Obituary
Joyce Irene Finnegan, born in 1932, lived a full and vibrant 94 years before her passing in 2026. She leaves behind a legacy shaped by warmth, generosity, and a genuine love for the people around her.
Joyce had a gift for making life feel special. She adored Christmas, and those who knew her could count on her to pour heart and soul into decorating and celebrating the season. Her enthusiasm for the holidays was a reflection of something deeper: a true delight in gathering people together and creating moments worth remembering. More than anything, she loved people, and that love was felt by everyone fortunate enough to be in her life.
She is survived by her children Michael, Daryl, and Patrick Finnegan, and by her grandchildren Lenny, Steven, Kelly, and Kevin, who knew her in the way grandchildren are so lucky to: as a constant, loving presence who made ordinary days feel a little brighter.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Stephen and Helen Scovira, her siblings Donna Van Den Bosch and Donald Scovira, and her son Robert "Bob" Finnegan, whose absence she carried with grace.
The lives she touched, the homes she decorated, the people she welcomed, these are the things Joyce leaves behind. She was cherished, and she will be remembered.
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