Joyce Petty

Joyce Koslosky Petty, 65, wife of the late Donald E. Petty, passed away peacefully in her Canton home Monday, August 24. Having bravely lived with ovarian cancer for 5 years, Joyce had been resting at home under the loving care of her children, grandchildren, and the special people at Hospice.

Born July 7, 1944 in Utica, NY daughter of Louis & Rose (Palczynski) Koslosky, Joyce grew up the youngest, with three older brothers. She attended catholic school, enjoyed drinking "real" cherry coke from the soda fountain, and even won a new car in a raffle at the age of 8. Of course, she was too young to enjoy her prize (which was sold) but was rewarded years later with a yellow convertible.

Joyce married Don, a Parishville native, on August 31, 1968 at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Yorkville, NY, just steps away from her childhood home. Their honeymoon on the southern coast of Maine began her life-long love of the ocean. Never liking the idea of flying, she enjoyed summer vacations in Wells with the family. For their 25th wedding anniversary, Joyce and Don joined friends on a cross-country train trip from Syracuse to San Francisco, making memorable stops in Reno and Sedona.

Joyce was employed by Gerald L. Regan, DDS, Potsdam, for 18 years, until his retirement. She later worked for Stephen Fisher, DDS in Ogdensburg, and was employed by the St. Lawrence County Office of the Aging in Canton at the time of her passing. Joyce boasted that Don would have been proud that she could finally find her way around the back roads of the county, as she traveled to client's homes gathering information for the Meals On Wheels program. "All I needed was a good map," she joked.

She valued "quiet time" at home reading, gardening and listening to Don Imus, and loved listening to the rain from her front porch. A compassionate, unselfish, spirited person, Joyce will be greatly missed by her family, friends, clients, (and the neighborhood wildlife she enjoyed feeding.)

Joyce is survived by eldest daughter KrisTina and son-in-law Michael Wheeler of Salem, MA; son Matthew, Yakima, WA; daughter Taryn, son-in-law Kevin Williamson, and two young grandsons, Masen and Colden, of Waterbury, CT (who told Grandma she better have a phone in heaven because they are used to calling her three times a day!)

In addition, Joyce is survived by her Koslosky relatives: nieces Maryanne, Kathleen, and Lorraine and nephews William, John, Daniel, and Steven, all of Utica, NY; and her Petty relatives: father-in-law Clarence, Saranac Lake; brother-in-law Ed, Canton; brother-in-law Richard and sister-in-law Jane, Sedona, AZ; and niece Janice, San Jose.

Joyce was predeceased by her parents, brother Louis and sister-in-law Anne, brother Kenneth and sister-in-law Diane, and brother Richard Koslosky all of Utica. Her husband, Don, passed away on September 25, 2001 in Canton.

Possessing a unique passion for animals that has been passed on to all of her children, Joyce enjoyed caring for her many pets including Brutus, Cali, Huck, and Kitty Jordan. The family has donated to the Potsdam Humane Society Shelter Expansion Project so that one of the new kitten areas will be named in memory of both Joyce and Don.

Joyce did wish that, in lieu of flowers, gifts of remembrance be made to the Potsdam Humane Society (http://potsdamhumanesociety.org) or to the St. Lawrence County Office of the Aging Nutrition Program (80 State Hwy 310, Canton.) The family also believes that Joyce would smile if flowers were planted in her memory in your own personal garden.

Joyce requested no calling hours. Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 5 at 10:00am at St. Mary's Church, Canton. Burial will be at Lakeview Cemetery in Tupper Lake at the convenience of the family.