Obituary – Joyce Hanson, 61

November 26th, 1949 – September 17th, 2011

Joyce was born to Nellie and Max Morgan on November 26th, 1949 in High Prairie, Alberta. She joined sister Winnie and brother Max. She was raised in Fost until age 10, and then moved to Hay River. In 1967, she moved to Summit Lake with her parents, and met her husband Rene two years later when he was prospecting in the area. They were married August 29th, 1969, and had their first child, Clint, the following June. Joyce was always first and foremost a great musician throughout her life. She sang at the Calgary Stampede, meeting such celebrities as the Three Stooges, Cary Grant, and even Bob Hope, who commented on her good looks and talent. The singer/songwriter and new mother pursued her dream when Rene, a business partner, and herself flew down to Vancouver and recorded an album in Argon Studios. These recordings led to a lifetime of pride, as they received good reviews from not only strangers around the country, but also a candid visit with Buddy Knox, and a personal letter from Jacqueline Onassis, for whom Joyce had written a song. Joyce had three more children in the years to come; Dana, Ginger and Morgan. One might argue that she gave up her dreams, but Joyce chose to be a great and caring wife and mother. All of her family carry memories of love and laughter, and of course her crazy stories of people she knew and things she did. Her husband Rene might remember a verse from the song “Rocky Top Tennessee” that says ‘wild as a mink but sweet as a soda pop’, and that really was Joyce. Rene once said that he felt like a king watching his wife on stage, singing for everyone, knowing that she was his and he was hers. In later years, Joyce calmed her wild ways and took to being the rock of the family. After her children had all grown, she always seemed to have an answer to every hardship, and a giggle to every good fortune, yet at times seemed troubled by the empty nest. In her final years, she found great joy in her grandchildren; Brody, Alexis and Charlotte. She watched them experience life she recalled as a child, and as she recalled in her own children. Wife, mother, grandmother, musician, and friend, she touched many in ways that will leave an everlasting impression. Rene and family would like to thank everyone who was there for them in their time of sorrow.

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