Joyce Beerbower

Joyce Beerbower was born in Detroit, Michigan, the youngest of four siblings and the only one with no middle name. She graduated from Oakwood High School outside of Dayton, Ohio. Never one to take the straight path, Joyce started out at Emory University before graduating from the University of Dayton. She then obtained her MBA from the Wharton School of Business. She worked in accounting at Eli Lilly in Tri-Cities, Tennessee before starting her lengthy career as Principal at Safety and Compliance Services, Inc. Joyce’s favorite aspect of her work was her teaching. She taught extensive safety courses for various professionals. 

Now, for what really matters—Joyce was feisty, funny, passionate, irreverent and deeply-loving. She had a big personality and an even bigger heart. Joyce loved gardening, jazz, any underdog, travel and the Arts. She was on the board of Brian Sanders’ dance company, JUNK, in Philadelphia  and a regular at their annual Snowball fundraising event. Joyce had a tough, take-no-bull outer-shell and a wonderfully tender heart, reserved not only for her friends and family, but her community at large. Joyce cared for her neighbors, her Farmer’s Market vendors, her hairdresser and her auto-mechanic, to whom, in her final weeks, she sold her car on a whim for just a handful of cash. She always had a story and rarely told it just once. Her network was large and inclusive and anybody was just one spirited conversation away from being granted access to her endless support and equally endless candor. Joyce was the best kind of supportive. Kind, but not “sweet”, she called it how she saw it and she showed up, again and again, for those in need. Over the last 10 years, she, along with her husband Jan, was an interminable support system for her eldest brother following his diagnosis with ALS.

In early 2024, Joyce was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic cancer and given 3 months, maybe 6, to live. Ever the contrarian, she decided to make it almost a year, instead. Joyce faced her diagnosis with poise, stoicism and humor. She had already figured out that the most important thing to do with her time was to just keep on loving. In December, she celebrated her 70th birthday eating Middle Eastern food surrounded by dear friends, family, light and love. It wouldn’t be fair to Joyce to say she lost her battle with cancer… cancer lost her. 

Joyce is survived by her husband, Jan Wiewiora of Reston, VA, her older siblings John (Alexandria, VA), James (wife Susan; Tipp City, OH) and Jo Ellen (husband Michael; Philadelphia/Gettsyburg, PA), her nieces and nephews, Annie (husband Jesse), Robert (wife Jen), Becki (husband Brian), Andrew (husband James), John Eliot (wife Megan) and Sarah (chronically single), her grandchildren, Morgan (partner Ben) and Nicolai, and her great grandchildren, James (5) and Lucas (3). 

Joyce, may you rest eternally in Nature’s loving embrace.