Joyce Ann (Wahl) Olson Barrett, age 77, passed away peacefully in her sleep at Aspire in Bradenton, FL where she resided for the final six and a half years of her life.
Joyce was born on August 3, 1946, to Edward F. and Janet L. Wahl (Jennings) in Pawtucket, Providence, Rhode Island. Highly intelligent, hard-working, and determined, Joyce could easily have achieved success in any number of highly competitive professional fields. But, in an era when women faced opposition to their chosen profession, she instead heeded her father's steer to a "proper female career." Joyce graduated from the renowned Katharine Gibbs Professional School, whose values of excellence and exceptional professionalism she exemplified throughout her career.
Joyce began her secretarial vocation in journalism, providing support in the newsroom of the Providence Journal. A fiercely independent woman, while still young, she decided to relocate to Florida, and identified the newly-formed Poynter Institute for Media Studies as her employer of choice. As Dr. Roy Peter Clark recounts, "when I visited her newsroom, she informed me that she wanted to move to St. Petersburg, and that I should hire her when she did." And, "It turned out to be one of the best hires in the history of the Institute."
Her decision to do so greatly benefitted another of the important men in her life, Robert "Bob" Haiman, President of the Poynter Institute, whom she admired deeply and for whom she provided top-notch executive support throughout his career there. Joyce graced Poynter, its Presidents, and all who passed through the Institute's doors with stellar professionalism and exceptional leadership until her retirement.
In her personal life, Joyce was warm, generous, kind, and ready with a smile, word of encouragement, and loving hugs. In 1990 she "adopted" a then young woman from post-communist Bulgaria whom she helped continue her education, and build a life in the United States. Joyce welcomed, loved and supported her as a true mother. Love defined Joyce's life and she was a testament that it's never too late to find true love. Joyce was in her 50's when she met the real love of her life, Harold "Harry" C. Barrett, a former naval aviator and avid sailor. They married in 1999 in Las Vegas, NV, and cherished their nearly two decades together. Harry brought out the joy in Joyce's name and life, and he showered her with the affection and zest for living she'd always deserved and for which had she longed. Sailing the beautiful Florida coasts with their beloved pets, they shared many adventures during their years together.
Before Harry, Joyce's life had often been more challenging than she let on, but she was invariably vibrant and positive, recalling the good and laughing easily with a twinkle in her eyes. Joyce was a no-nonsense and strong woman, and always beautiful, inside and out. She set the bar for elegance and glamour as a consummate fashion maven throughout her life, including ultimately amongst her fellow residents at Aspire. She loved good food and - unlike most of us - it loved her back. And she admired and loved a few exceptional people, and especially exceptional men. If you were one of them, you know how precious and rare that compliment is.
Joyce is survived by Harry's two sons, Clark and Chris Barrett, and the people who loved and cared for her in the later years of her life: Katia Walsh, Jill Gunn Berman, Steve Berman, Bob Haiman and Lyn Turk. Joyce is dearly missed by the many whose lives she touched with her warmth, kindness, and wisdom. As she wished, Joyce will be laid to rest at sea joining her beloved Harry.
Joyce loved America and was a patriot. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honor may be made to the New Civil Liberties Alliance, found here: https://nclalegal.org/
