Joyce E Mcnamara

M cNAMARA - Joyce (ne Emmick) died on July 11, 2023 at the Beechwood Rehabilitation Center in Getzville, NY after a brief hospitalization. She was 86 years old. Joyce was born in Elmira, NY in 1936 and grew up in Elmira Heights, NY. She was the youngest child of Charles and Hilda Emmick, and had five older brothers: Roland, Robert, Richard, Charles, and Jack. In her childhood she was closest to Jack,and had many fond memories of playing piano in small groups with him on trombone and clarinet. Her older four brothers served in the U.S. military in World War II, and she recalled the familys joy when they all returned home safely in 1945. Joyce was a gifted musician, playing piano and pipe organ at church and school. She was also a bright student, graduating second in her class at Thomas Edison High School in Elmira Heights. She then attended Alfred University in Alfred, NY on a scholarship, studying nursing. There she met her future husband Edward P. McNamara, whom she married in 1957. After university they moved to Shrewsbury, Massachusetts where Joyce worked as a registered nurse while Ed began his career in the ceramics industry. Their first three sons, John, Paul, and James, were born in Massachusetts. After a brief time in Middletown, NJ they moved to Williamsville, NY in 1968. Their twin boys Steven and David were born there in 1969. Joyce was a generous and loving wife, mother, and homemaker, and her house was filled with music, activity, and delicious homemade food. Like her mother, she was an excellent baker and was known for her mouthwatering fruit pies, cookies, cakes, and other treats. In their years in Williamsville they were faithful members of Randall Memorial Baptist Church, where Joyce sang in the church choir and Ed served as a deacon. In 1987, Joyce and Ed moved to northern New York when Ed assumed the position of Deputy Director at Center for Advanced Materials Processing at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY. They lived in a beautiful home overlooking Norwood Lake and frequently hosted family and friends. Their sixteen grandchildren all have many fond memories of summer and holiday visits to Grandma and Grandpas house, where they enjoyed swimming, boating, and fishing on Norwood Lake, playing piano with Grandma Joyce, and watching baseball, hockey, or football with Grandpa Ed in the evenings. Joyce was church organist at First United Methodist Church in Massena, NY in the 1990s. She later attended Trinity Episcopal Church in Potsdam, NY where she was a Stephen Minister. Joyce was a woman of deep Christian faith. Her personal Bible was annotated and underlined with notes through the years of scripture passages which she read and studied as she sought to understand Gods presence in this world. While her husband Ed predeceased her in 2021, she is survived by her sons John, Paul, James, Steven, and David, as well as their wives and sixteen grandchildren. Relatives and friends may attended a funeral Service will be held for Joyce on Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 10:30 am in St. Bartholomews Anglican Church, 2368 Eggert Road, Tonawanda. Arrangements by Lombardo Funeral Home. Online condolences may be made at www.lombardofuneralhome.com