Joyce Elvia Lanphere's Obituary
Joyce Elvia Lanphere, 81, wife of Marvin Alder Lanphere, passed away Friday, July 28 in Redwood City, California.Born August 7, 1935 in Los Angeles, Joyce was the daughter of the late George and Corinne Brown.Joyce graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1953. She earned a B.S. in Economics from Occidental University in Los Angeles in 1957. In her first year at Oxy, Joyce received a $100 award for being the female freshman with the highest GPA. She used the award to buy herself a piano. Joyce went on to receive a degree in Business Administration from the Harvard Radcliffe Program in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1958.Joyce met Marvin in 1959 while both were living in the Los Angeles area. They became engaged in 1960 and married on July 1, 1961.Joyce was an active member of First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto for more than 45 years, where she sang as an alto in the church choir. Joyce was also involved for many years with Palo Alto Swim Club and United States Swimming, officiating at swim meets and administering the Scholastic All-American program, which recognizes scholar-athletes from across the nation. She was an avid camper, reader, cook and world traveler.She is survived by Marvin, her husband of 56 years, her daughters Christine and Darci, her son Andrew, and her grandchildren Mason and Peyton.A memorial service will take place on Saturday, September 9 at 2:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto, 1140 Cowper Street. Donations in her memory may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 1140 Cowper Street, Palo Alto, California 94301.
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