She was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1930, the daughter of William Miner and Rosella Butler Miner of Waterville Maine.
Growing up in South Portland, she enjoyed summers at Willard Beach, and graduated from South Portland High School in 1948. In 1952 she became a registered nurse, graduating from the Maine General Hospital in Portland. As part of her training, she cared for polio patients in Providence, Rhode Island. After becoming an RN, she traveled to Dallas, Texas, to work at the MD Anderson hospital for cancer research. Missing Maine, she returned here for the rest of her nursing career, which included public health nursing in Biddeford, Cyro in Alfred, Maremont Corporation in Saco where she became a licensed audiologist, various summer camps, and school nursing in SAD6, Kennebunk, and Sweetser Children’s Home.
In 1955 Joyce and Irving Della Torre were married. They lived in Portland and had four children together. In 1967 the family moved to “the Farm” on 40 acres in Saco. They were members of Trinity Episcopal Church, where Joyce sang in the choir and directed the children’s choir.
In 1977, Joyce married Stanley Rowland. They lived in Saco for many years, until his death in 1997. During this time, Joyce became a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Saco.
In 2005, Joyce married Richard Beaulieu at Ferry Beach. Stanley Rowland’s niece, Reverend Fayre Stephenson officiated at their wedding on the sand. Richard was a devoted husband and their marriage was a very loving one.
Joyce was a lover of music throughout her life. She was a pianist and enjoyed playing and singing anything from nocturnes to boogie-woogie. She had a lovely alto voice and sang in a trio and many choirs. She also enjoyed the outdoors, walking, cross-country skiing, and especially swimming—she once swam from Portland to Peaks Island. She liked to bake and was famous for her lemon meringue pies.
Joyce is survived by her husband Richard; her children Mary Della Torre of Blue Hill, James Della Torre of Hollis, Elizabeth Callahan (Rick) of Scarborough, and Ellen Della Torre of Auburn; grandchildren Megan Smith, Ryan and Eric Callahan, Tatiana and Yulia Heggestad; great-granddaughters Evelyn and Isla Smith; also her brothers John Miner (Corinne) of Antelope, California, and Bill Miner (Jay) of Cheney, Washington.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to: The Resident Escrow Account, Assisted Living at 75 State Street, Portland ME 04101
A Memorial Service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 60 School St. in Saco, at 1 p.m. on March 31, 2018.
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