Joyce Harada

In the early morning of April 19, Joyce Harada left us to reunite with her parents, Ruby and Mitsu Harada.  While we mourn the loss of our sister, aunt and friend, we celebrate her life of gentleness, giving and devotion to all that knew her.

Joyce was born in Rocky Ford Colorado on April 13, 1943.  She joined a brother, Harry, two years older than her, and often followed him in to some sort of mischief.  Sister Marge followed nine years later.  Life in Rocky Ford was centered around the family farm and market and school activities.  She still had time to spend with her friends, a group of seven girls who have maintained contact over the years.  After graduating high school in 1961, Joyce attended Otero Junior College and then transferred in 1962 to attend college in Greeley at Colorado State College (now University of Northern Colorado).  Upon graduation in 1965 and with limited teaching prospects in Colorado, Joyce accepted a sixth-grade teaching position in Long Beach, California.  This had to be a terrifying leap for a self-described homebody, but Joyce flourished for 37 years in Long Beach, making a wide circle of friends, many of them students who kept in touch with her long after they left her classroom. 

In 2002 Joyce took early retirement and returned to Colorado to assist with the care of her parents, but unfortunately, her father, Mitsu, passed before her return.  The attentiveness for her mother until Ruby’s death in 2013, was a demonstration of devotion and love for her family.  While settling in Windsor, she continued with her hobbies of many crafts, particularly card making, and many of us will keep her hand-crafted cards with fond reflections of the hours spent in designing each one.

If there is a common theme in Joyce’s life, it is she was a caring individual who made lifelong friends wherever she went, and her influence was far reaching.  With news of her passing, many words of condolences have been received, describing wonderful stories and memories and how she influenced so many individuals.  The terms “sweet”, “kind” and “caring” are used repeatedly and are wonderful testaments of her impact on the lives of others.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents Mitsu and Ruby Harada, her sister-in-law Nancy Harada, nephew Craig Harada and special friend Perry Uchida.  She is survived by her brother Harry, sister and brother-in-law Marge and Ron Yoder, nieces and nephews Stacey Harada and Eric Pederson, Keri and Dale Quye and Aaron and Stephanie Yoder.  Her great nieces and nephews, Keira, Danny, Calvin, Aiden, Andre, Buddy and Alia were special joys in her life.

Burial services at Olinger Highland Mortuary & Cemetery in Thornton are pending at this time due to the restrictions of gatherings from COVID-19.  The family is preparing a Memory Book of Joyce’s life and ask that you please share your memories of Joyce to her family by signing the guestbook.