Joyce Marie Corbett West, who generously shared her infectious spirit and her
wide range of talents with her communities in Washington, D.C. and Marion,
Massachusetts, died peacefully in Marion on June 2, 2016 surrounded by her loving
family. She was 85.
Joyce lived a fun and meaningful life. She was kind, smart and generous, with a
lovely smile, a hearty laugh and a knack for being there and helping out her
family, her colleagues, her church and her community. Born on March 21, 1931 in
tiny Minooka, Pennsylvania outside Scranton, Joyce was the sixth of seven
children born to Mary and Martin Corbett. Her family eventually settled in the
Chevy Chase neighborhood of Washington, D.C., where Joyce flourished. It was
there, while working for Pan American World Airways after graduating from
nearby Immaculata College, that she met the love of her life, George Bruce West.
Joyce and Bruce married on January 29, 1955, and they went on to spend an
adventurous 60 years together before Bruce died on August 20, 2015.
In 1956, Joyce and all four of her sisters found themselves amid a remarkable
situation that became permanent, and wonderful, family folklore. That was the
year, right smack in the middle of the Baby Boom, that Joy, as her family called
her, and her four sisters were “expecting,” in the genteel parlance of the day. The
five members of the celebrated “Class of 1956” quickly became a symbol of the
Corbett Clan’s rapid growth. Ultimately, they would count themselves among a
staggering 35 first cousins!
While raising five children and supporting her husband as he ran a successful
advertising agency, Joyce volunteered her help on the board of the Goodwill
Industry of Washington, D.C. and at the various schools her children attended.
She also was a docent at the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
In 1974, after nearly 20 years in Washington and about a dozen sublime summers
in Marion, Joyce and Bruce moved their family north year-round, the better to
enjoy the bucolic nature of the “Sands of Sippican,” as Bruce titled one of his
books, and to show their children a less hectic way of life. Joyce jumped right in,
immersing herself deeply within Marion’s community, making friends, serving on
countless boards, singing in the church choir at St. Gabriel’s, directing and
teaching at The Loft School, and eventually buying and running the small town’s
lone bookstore, The Bookstall.
Joyce was a Renaissance woman of heart and mind. She loved the land and the
water, so she served on the board of the Sippican Lands Trust for 15 years and on
the Marion Conservation Committee for 10 years. She loved gardening, so for
about 20 years she was a member of the Marion Garden Discussion Group. Joyce
was a voracious reader, so she served on the Elizabeth Taber Library Board for
six years. She loved music and singing, so she sang with the Sippican Choral
Society for roughly 20 years. The list of groups to which Joyce gave of her time
and talents was seemingly endless: the Marion Visiting Nurse’s Association Board
for six years, the Sippican Historical Society for five years, and the Marion
Foundation, where she was one of the original employees, focusing on
membership and events.
Throughout it all, Joyce was most passionate about her family and friends, and
she loved nothing so much as big family gatherings, spending time with her many
pals and traveling with family and friends here, there and everywhere. She
adored her beloved Bruce, their five children, seven grandchildren, one great
granddaughter, her four sisters and two brothers, and all of her many nieces and
nephews.
Survivors include four sons, George Bruce West III and his wife, Jeanie, of
Peterborough, New Hampshire; Mark Corbett West and his wife, Cyndy, of
Nottingham, New Hampshire; Jonathan Braitmayer West and his wife, Cassy, of
Mattapoisett, Massachusetts; Charles Krug West and his wife, Liz, of Rochester,
Massachusetts; and a daughter, Margaret Wendy West and her wife, Rebecca
Leeman, of Portland, Maine. Joyce also leaves seven grandchildren,
Ian Derrick West, Taylor Graham West, Robert Braitmayer West, Reilly Evans
West, Madeleine Jarvis West, Connor Martin West and Georgia Catherine West,
and a great granddaughter, Violet Elizabeth West.
Joyce Corbett West also is survived by three sisters, Gladys Corbett Quinn, Rita
Corbett Jeffers and Dorothea Corbett McIntyre, one brother, William Martin
Corbett, and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, Joyce
also was predeceased by a brother, Francis Joseph Corbett, and a sister, Lucille
Corbett Daly.
The West family warmly invites you to join in celebrating Joyce’s life on
Saturday afternoon, July 23rd, at two o’clock at St. Gabriel’s Church in
Marion, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to
The Sippican Lands Trust, 354 Front Street, Marion, Massachusetts,
02738. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.