Joyce Lucille Besase

JOYCE LUCILLE (REED) BESASE 06/17/1943 - 03/28/2018 Joyce Lucille (Reed) Besase passed away at 2:34 P.M., March 28, 2018, from complications of breast cancer and ultimately of MDS, a blood cancer disorder. She survived for over 6 years. Joyce was the daughter of Bob and Shirley (Dague) Reed and she grew up in South Toledo on Nicholas Street and later on South Street. She attended Arlington grade school and is a graduate of the class of 1961 at Libbey High School and Davis Business College. Joyce married Sam Besase on March 22nd, 1963 and they enjoyed 55 years of marriage. She met her husband while they both worked in the Administration Building of Kaiser Jeep Corporation. Joyce was known as the "worst" elevator operator and it is because of her lack of skill operating elevators that we have automatic elevators today. She parlayed her lack of elevator operator skills into an office job (typing 80 words a minute with no errors). Joyce worked at Jeep for about 5 years. She has lived in Toledo, Ohio (40 years) and South Bend, Indiana (4 years) and Quaregnon, Belgium (2 years) and Katy, Texas (20 years) and Rotonda West, Florida (8 years). She also worked as the secretary of Faith Lutheran Church on South Street and at Arco Refrigeration on Hill Avenue as well as the Nursing Home Unit at Swayne Field for Lucas County Welfare. Then she worked at the Katy schools for over 10 years as the secretary to the school counselors. She was known as "Miss Joyce" and the lady that ran the school. The only job that Joyce ever wanted was to be a MOTHER and she excelled at this, raising two wonderful sons, Jeffery (Ellen) and Gregory (Lauryl), who survive along with her husband Sam along with 6 grandchildren - Brent Besase, Brent Collins, Jake Collins, Jeremy Irish, JJ Irish, Tiffany Irish and 3 great grandchildren and many loving cousins including Mary Lee (Nicholson) Grabowski and Mary Jo Reed. She is also survived by her sister, Janice and nieces Emily (Klingenberger) Walker and Sarah Klingenberger. Joyce loved camping and the family spent over 20 wonderful years camping all over Michigan and Canada including at Funny Farm in Pioneer, Ohio and Waffle Farm in Coldwater, Michigan. Joyce's lifelong friends (70+ years) since kindergarten were Joyce (Surtman) Mueller, Carol Lee (Wallington) Schlipf, Barbara (Taylor) Mather, Miriam (Bouganville) Thompson, Barbara (Shinaver) Gall and Fran (Fuerst) Knack. Joyce was an avid arts person, first as a renowned China Painter in the Toledo area with her longtime friend, Judy Schaarschmidt where they could be seen at numerous arts and craft shows. She was a 40-year member of the International Porcelain Artists. Joyce was also President of the 300 member Toledo Craftsman's Guild in 1989. Joyce took up quilting when she moved to Texas in 1992 and has exhibited her quilts in numerous quilt shows in Texas and Florida. Her friends Patti Villere and Elaine Strahan were her quilting buddies in Texas along with a group of about 6 more ladies. In Florida, her quilting bee includes Penny Berg. She has made many charity quilts for Hospice and Veterans and children. Joyce also belonged to the Xi Phi Gamma chapter of Beta Sigma Phi social sorority in Katy, Texas where she was named the "Sweetheart of the Year" in 1995. Joyce was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Rotonda West, Florida where she served faithfully on the Altar Guild. She was also a member of the Moose Lodge in Englewood Florida and the Deep Creek Elks Lodge. Joyce was known throughout Toledo and then Katy Texas and then Florida for baking her famous Texas Sheet cakes for numerous events. Joyce and the family would like to thank all of the nurses and staff at the Florida Cancer Specialists at the Venice Island office including her Oncologist, Dr. Noel Maun, and head nurse Michelle, and staff members CeCe, Sheila, Keysa and Michelle for their care and compassion these last 6+ years. We also wish to thank the staff of the Ambulatory Care Unit - 4th floor at Venice Hospital, especially Kathy, Renee, Shelly, Jennifer and Amanda. SPECIAL KUDOS TO HER SISTER-IN-LAW'S, PAT KARPINSKI AND JULIE SPEARS. Joyce was preceded in death by her Mother and Father and paternal and maternal grandparents. She is survived by many Reed and Nicholson cousins especially Mary Lee and Mary Joe as well as special family friends, the Johnson's, Curran's, O'Connell's, Vorraber's, Velliquette's, Dans, and Stygles, families and all of her quilting friends in Texas and Florida. Englewood Community Funeral Home with Private Crematory has been selected to handle arrangements. You may share a memory at www.englewoodfh.com