Obituary for Joyce Ella Reece 1928 – 2022
Joyce Ella Allen as born in Enderby on 23rd March 1928 to Winifred and Ernest Allen, being one of three, having a sister named Ursula and a brother, Ronald. Their father was a policeman, so the family would move wherever he was stationed. One of Joyce’s favourite places was a little village called Buckminster, near Melton Mowbray. Sadly Joyce lost her parents while still in her twenties.
From a very early age Joyce loved dressing up and going out in her fur coats and glamorous outfits dancing at the Palais de Dance in Leicester and other venues such as the White House, Scraptoft.
Her first job was in the office of a hosiery company as an administrator. There she met her husband Francis Reece, who happened to own the company, so now they would run the firm together. Francis and Joyce enjoyed travelling all over the world. They also enjoyed hiking and rock climbing with friends in Wales. The had one daughter, Heidi.
Sadly in 1967, Joyce and Francis divorced, so Joyce took up another position in the office of a hosiery distribution factory in Leicester. Joyce moved around and lived in numerous places around Leicestershire, making lots of friends. These friends would become good travelling companions for all her holidays.
Then Joyce left the hosiery factory and took a position with Leicester County Council in social services as an administrator. This would be Joyce’s last job before retirement. On her retirement Joyce wasn’t the type to just sit around, she had many volunteering jobs mainly being an assistant in charity shops, in particular in animal charities because of her love of animals. Joyce was also a volunteer driver for the Red Cross, taking elderly people to appointments and shopping. With still her passion for travel, she also become a volunteer agent for Saga Travel. In between her voluntary work, Joyce would spend lots of time with her sister going out for meals and holidays together with their two beloved dogs.
After moving around many places in Leicestershire, Joyce acquired a flat in Evington Village in High Street, which would be her last place to live. She would say “of all the big houses and places I have lived, this is my favourite”.
Joyce was a very sociable person, she loved to go out around the village shopping and chatting to people. She was also a frequent visitor to The Cedars pub, where she would be seen often having a meal and drink with a group of friends.
Joyce was very much an outdoor person spending hours in the garden just sitting or gardening. She really looked forward to the annual Village Fete and Show, she would always enter one of the competitions, winning one year the best garden border outside her flat.
She also loved entertaining – the more the merrier. So during and after the Fete and Show, Joyce would put on a spread of sandwiches, cakes and drinks in the little communial garden where she lived, inviting friends and anyone she would meet at the Fete. So people would trot off from the Village Green over to the garden and would be greeted by Joyce in her own distinctive voice “Hello Ducks”.
