Obituary of Joyce Julia Orchard

Orchard, Joyce Julia July 6, 1955 – April 30, 2016 On April 30, in the light of the morning sunshine and with her family by her side, Joyce’s short but valiant battle with cancer ended. It is with unspeakable sadness that her family shares the passing of a remarkable and loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and best friend. Joyce was born in Hafford on July 6, 1955 to Stan and Annie Bodnarchuk and raised on the family farm. Summer days were often spent at Lac La Peche, and that is where she caught the eye of Randy, who admitted that she was “the most beautiful girl” he had ever seen. She graduated from high school in Hafford and moved to Saskatoon to work. Joyce and Randy were married on May 18, 1974 and a few years later built their home on the Orchard family farm at Borden. Their family grew with the addition of Greg, Dennie, and Russell. Joyce chose to stay home to raise the children and worked side by side with Randy on the farm. Harvest was one of her favorite times, whether it was trucking grain or delivering her homemade apple pies to the field. One of her labors of love was helping raise Dennie into the wonderful young lady she is today. Once the children were older, Joyce worked at the Borden Post Office and at Block’s Agencies, until she took the position of Postmaster. She had taken her retirement in July 2015 to enjoy time with family and her grandchildren. Joyce had many loves in her life, foremost her family. Her other passions included following her sons’ sports teams, snowmobiling, and in recent years traveling to warmer climates with Randy and their friends. Summers were spent manicuring her beautiful yard, tending to her flowers and shrubs, and going to the lake. Randy and Joyce had recently leased a lot at Emma Lake where they had planned to spend their summers with family and friends. It was rare to see Joyce without a smile on her face or sharing laughter with a friend, and she had the rare ability to laugh at herself as well. Joyce was involved in the community, working hard on the preservation of the Borden Hall which she felt was the heart of the community. She made lifelong friends through her splurge group and at morning coffee break. Throughout her short illness, Joyce never uttered a complaint or harsh word. She battled leukemia with grace and a strong conviction that she was going to win the fight. Her strength and determination during her illness humbled everyone she touched. Left to mourn her loss and cherish her memory are Randy, her loving husband and best friend of 42 years , Greg (Julia) and their daughters Alexandra and Abbigail; Dennie; Russell (Jillian), numerous brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and the countless friends she made over the years. Joyce’s family would like to express gratitude to the staff of 6100 at RUH and SPH Palliative Care, as well as everyone else involved in helping Joyce and them through this difficult time.