Our family said goodbye – for now – to our sweet mom, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend on Friday, February 11, 2022. Mom was born June 11, 1931, in Taber, Alberta, Canada, to Theodore Anthony and Hazel Cook Haynes and was the second of five children. Everyone knew Mom as “Joyce,” even though her first name was really Mary. She was especially proud of her Canadian roots.
Mom married Keith LaVell Densley on September 26, 1953, in Goldendale, Washington. They were later sealed in the Cardston, Alberta LDS Temple. They were the parents of two boys and two girls – Dale, Jerry, Renée, and Lori. Mom and Dad called many places home, including Goldendale, Yakima, and Olympia, Washington; Orem and Mapleton, Utah; Jacksonville Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Herndon, Virginia; and Allentown, Pennsylvania. Mom’s final days were spent in Spanish Fork, Utah.
Our mother had many talents and interests. She loved dancing and joined a square dance group with Dad and his aunt and uncle. They had a lot of fun traveling and dancing, meeting new people along the way. Mom was a school secretary for a while. She was not just a secretary though, but was also a nurse, librarian, assistant teacher, and counselor back in those days! Mom attended one year of college pursuing an English degree. She was an avid Reader, Reader, Reader! … and always had something to read. She loved sports and was a devout BYU and Utah Jazz fan.
Mom dearly loved her family. For each of our birthdays she found joy in making us our favorite cakes or pies. She loved to sew and made Lori’s wedding dress as well as countless blessing gowns and Christmas stockings over the years. She was the best swim team mom ever, spending hours upon hours shuttling us back and forth to workouts and swim meets every weekend (after gathering the unfathomable amount of gear for all of us kids, as well as for any “strays” that needed her help as well). She would always tell each of us, before we would head to bed every night, to “remember to brush your teeth and say your prayers.” She delighted in spending time with her grandchildren, making cookies with them and reading them book after book. She could always be counted on to have a sweet treat on hand in case one of them would stop by! Mom especially loved to hug – both on the giving and on the receiving end!
And . . . she LOVED chocolate!
Mom is survived by her children: Dale (Patty) Densley of Mapleton; Renée (Michael) Alcott of Mesa, Arizona; and Lori (Brian) Bensley of Spanish Fork; as well as many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and her sister Iris, Pauls. She is preceded in death by her husband, Keith; son, Jerry; daughter-in-law, Stephanie Tate Densley; and granddaughter, Briana Densley; her parents, Theodore Anthony and Hazel; her sisters, Vivian and Joan; and her brother, Ted (Mo).
A graveside service for Joyce will be at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday morning, February 15, 2022, at Springville Evergreen Cemetery.
A special thank you to all those at Hearthstone Manor in Spanish Fork who were special friends to our mom. Your kindness is greatly appreciated by her and our entire family.
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