Joyce Eaton

Joyce Geraldine Coleman Eaton, 90, of Duluth, passed away Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at Marywood in Duluth. She was born December 16, 1925 in Fargo (ND) to John and Gardia (Lura) Coleman. She graduated from Fargo High School and from what was then Moorhead State Teachers College, with a teaching degree. She married her high school sweetheart, James Riley Eaton, on August 24, 1947.

As part of his job as an industrial sales engineer for General Electric, Jim and Joyce moved to several places around the country, living in Schenectady (NY), Columbus (OH) and Erie (PA) before moving to Duluth in 1964. Joyce taught junior high school English and math in Fargo, Schenectady and Columbus before becoming a stay-at-home mother. After her children were grown, she loved working at the Second Edition, the paperback bookstore at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Joyce and Jim retired together to Deer Lake north of Grand Rapids (MN), where they built a beautiful lake home. After Jim died in 2006, Joyce lived summers at the lake and winters in Duluth, before moving permanently to Duluth in 2012.

She was a member of First United Methodist Church in Duluth, previously of Grand Rapids United Methodist Church, and of PEO in both Duluth and Grand Rapids. Joyce was involved in PTA and taught Sunday school for many years while her children were growing up. She was active in Bible studies and on church committees in both Duluth and Grand Rapids. She enjoyed many activities arranged by the Deer Lake Association.

Joyce loved poetry and books and believed strongly in the power of education. She loved gardening, sailing and being outdoors. She appreciated the northern Minnesota landscape and often commented on how beautiful the trees were on the drive between Grand Rapids and Duluth. She was genuinely interested in people, and tried to have one-on-one conversations with each person at a gathering. She was a wonderful, caring wife, mother and friend. No matter how much discomfort or pain she was in, she made sure to thank her caregivers for their help. She was most often described as a "sweet lady."

Joyce is survived by her two children, daughter Nancy of Duluth, and son Thomas of Elm Mott (TX); sister Marjorie Mitchell (Detroit Lakes, MN, and Apache Junction, AZ); sister-in-law Beverly Coleman (Moorhead, MN); granddaughter Nancy Rose, of Cisco (TX); and many nieces and nephews whom she loved very much.

Memorials may be sent to Strikepoint (First United Methodist Church, Duluth), the Duluth Library Foundation or the Deer Lake Association.

Funeral services will be held at First United Methodist Church (230 E. Skyline Pkwy., Duluth) at 2 pm on Saturday, February 20 with visitation from 5 - 7 pm on Friday, February 19 at Dougherty Funeral Home. A graveside service will be held at Riverside Cemetery in Fargo at 10 am on Monday, February 22.

Visitation continues at 1PM until the Funeral Service at 2PM