May 13, 1936 ~ April 9, 2021 (age 84)
It is with deepest sorrow that we announce that Joyce H. Bronson of Longmont, Colorado, passed away quietly in her sleep at her Boulder nursing home on April 9, 2021, just shy of her 85th birthday. She was born Joyce Gladys Hauser on May 13, 1936 in Manhattan, NY, and she grew up in South Orange, New Jersey. Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Albert Carl Hauser of New York, NY, and Sarah Aiken of Ireland. Her elder sister, Lois Hoie, preceded her in death by one year and two days.
Joyce attended Syracuse University on a full ride art scholarship. She was a Delta Gamma sister and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in 1958. Joyce met her lifelong partner, Arnold Bronson, their sophomore year at SU. Prior to graduating, Joyce worked her summer breaks at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado; the Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier Park, Montana; and she moved to Aspen, Colorado to work at the Limelite Club where the musical group The Limeliters often played. Her time spent in these locations developed her great love for the outdoors and mountains. She often sketched the scenery, then created acrylic paintings based on the sketches.
Joyce and Arnold were married prior to graduation ceremonies on June 1, 1958 by Rabbi Irwin Hyman in Syracuse, NY. They arrived late to their graduation. Joyce and Arnold moved to NYC where she worked as a fabric designer. They later established a home in Dewitt, NY, where they raised three children: Carl, Melissa and Stacey. In 1974, they moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where together they opened a successful furniture and interior design business, Scandinavian Interiors. They divorced in 1984, yet they continued to talk with each other weekly and often vacationed plus spent holidays together. Joyce moved to Seattle, Washington, to open a business called The Collection Gallery on Pioneer Square. Arnold gave Joyce a divorce gift: A 1947 Harley Davidson Knucklehead, which was the centerpiece in her gallery. Joyce then settled in Longmont, Colorado, to be closer to her grandchildren, and she opened a small business called The Garden Gift Shop combining her love of art with her love of gardening.
Joyce had a great love for the arts: She was an established painter and gallery owner. Her gallery included works from regional to well-known artists such as Richard Hogan, Fritz Scholder and Jane Abrams. Lovers of her art often commissioned her to paint their beloved family or pets. Her artistic eye also transposed over to gardening: She created havens from small to large spaces. Joyce enjoyed sports and recreation: She ran the New York Marathon, played tennis and golf, alpine skied everywhere from a little hill called Toggenburg in NY to Vermont to Colorado to New Mexico, and she hiked and backpacked many areas across the U.S. Joyce was an activist: She organized a group of Syracuse University students to protest march while carrying trees in protest of the deforestation and development of a hill in Dewitt. She also artistically painted colorful peace signs and flowers on the bikini-clad body of a friend prior to them attending a protest of the Vietnam War at SU. Joyce loved to travel: Her travels abroad included Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Portugal, UK, Belgium and Canada. She also traveled across the U.S. in a motor home when she and Arnold wanted to seek a new beginning in the Southwest. Joyce enjoyed traveling by motorcycle through New Mexico and Colorado, and she also enjoyed making annual ski trips to Aspen with friends. She and Arnold owned a second home in Durango, Colorado, which they frequented for winter ski vacations and summer hiking. Joyce had a brilliant mind: She was an avid reader of both fiction and nonfiction: She would often complete a book in one sitting. She also enjoyed a wide variety of music, from classical performances in her friends of the Guarneri Quartet, to The Who’s “My Generation,” to David Byrne.
Joyce was very witty and mastered the one-liners. She had the ability to inspire and gain friendships with everyone who met her, from homeless people on Pioneer Square to lifelong friends both young and old.
Joyce is survived by her soulmate Arnold Bronson; children Carl (Jessica) Bronson, Melissa (Derek) VanArsdale, Stacey (Chris) Gilbert; and five grandchildren Kaleb and Paige VanArsdale, Edie and Petra Gilbert, and Maris Bronson. In lieu of flowers, please consider a tribute donation to Alzheimer’s Association https://act.alz.org/donate. Condolences can be expressed through the Carroll-Lewellen Funeral home at www.carroll-lewellen.com. Joyce’s family invites all to attend her celebration of life Saturday September 4, 2021 in Longmont, Colorado. More information to follow.
