Joyce R. Brookover's Obituary
Joyce R. Brookover, a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, who would do anything and everything for her kids, passed into eternal life on Sept. 6 while surrounded by her family at the Harmony Village Care One facility in Moorestown. She was 85.
Family always came first for Joyce and she was at the peak of her happiness whenever all her kids and grandkids were together. Born in Danville, Pa. and raised in Upper Darby, she met George, her husband of 57 years, while working at Kresge’s 5 & 10 shortly after graduating high school in 1958.
The couple was married in June 1959 and started a family a year later with the birth of their son David. After moving to Levittown, which soon became Willingboro, Joyce gave birth to son Bobby and daughter Susan, then became an active force in her children’s lives and her community.
For the boys, that meant making sure they were involved in Pennypacker football, P.A.L. basketball and Little League and Babe Ruth baseball. For sister Sue, Joyce became the head coach of the Pennypacker cheerleader squad.
For all, it meant great family gatherings at the Cape Cod-style home that backed to Goes Funeral Home. The Fourth of July was the most special of holidays and usually followed by a summer filled with stays in the Jersey Shore towns of Ocean City and Beach Haven as well as day trips to places like Dorney Park and Great Adventure.
George, with good reason, was always concerned about the cost. Joyce wanted to make sure her family had a good time.
Her children learned unconditional love from an early age, but you didn’t have to be blood family to have her support. She taught one Parkside Circle neighbor who was born in World War II Germany how to drive after her husband died at a young age.
In her 30s, with the kids in school, she became an outstanding bowler in her women’s leagues in Burlington and she started a long working career with Sears that she continued until her retirement.
After the family moved to Delanco in the late 1970s, Joyce became a member of the Riverside High School booster club and was the proud mother of captain Sue when Maroon defeated White at Sports Night.
Joyce and George also loved their time alone, enjoying excursions to the Atlantic City casinos, cruises in the Caribbean and trips to Hawaii and California.
The true joy of life for Joyce and George, however, came with the arrivals of their seven grandchildren. Joyce could be the voice of reason (she never lacked an opinion) or the ear of understanding.
“She was the heartbeat of our family, always bringing everyone together,” granddaughter Danielle said. “You didn’t have to be related by blood for her to include you as family.”
Having her family together remained Joyce’s passion as a grandmother. That meant trips to Disney World, Ocean City, Md. and the Outer Banks. She continued to enjoy amusement parks, especially when she could successfully drench George in the Roaring Rapids.
After George passed away in 2016, Joyce found a new friend in her beloved dog Brookie. George probably wouldn’t have approved, but the furry critter proved to be the woman’s best friend.
Joyce and George were active members of the Presbyterian Church throughout their lives in Willingboro and Delanco.
The awful disease of Dementia became the challenge of Joyce’s later years, but she remained determined to keep her mind sharp by playing games on her iPad and, as much as she could, enjoying the great grandchildren that came into her life.
She, in fact, was the first to know about her last one.
“She was the first one I told I was pregnant with Noelle when I was working at Harmony Village,” granddaughter Justine said.
Joyce is survived by her three children: David (wife Donna), Robert (wife Francine) and Susan Danner (husband Paul). She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Justine Fazekas (Joseph), David Brookover (Kai), Ryan Duffy, Dana Burns (Mike), Danielle Burkart (Aaron), Ashlee Danner and Nicholas Danner. Joyce had seven great grandchildren: Addison, the late Leo, Eila, Finley, Holly, Brooklyn and Noelle.
In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her younger sister Joanne and younger brothers Kenneth and Richard.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend her visitation at Givnish of Cinnaminson, 1200 Route 130 North, on Tuesday evening September 9th from 6 pm t0 8 pm, and Wednesday morning September 10th from 10 am to 11 am. A service will begin at 11 am, followed by entombment in Lakeview Memorial Park, Mausoleum of the Apostles, Cinnaminson, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to either Ascend Hospice, www.ascendhealth.com, or to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org.
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