Joyce Brodsky
Joyce Brodsky
Joyce Brodsky
Joyce Brodsky
Joyce Brodsky
Joyce Brodsky

Obituary of Joyce Brodsky

An Obituary for My Mother Joyce

 

 

 

My beloved mother, Joyce Brodsky, passed away on May 11th, 2019 at the age of 87.  Joyce was born in Brooklyn, NY. in 1932 to Samuel and Rose Goldman.  She was a true a New Yorker of the 1930’s;  imbued with a positive outlook in life, an intellectual dynamism, and an ability to embrace multi-culturalism.

My mom was not much different from other Jewish kids growing in the city.  Then, in elementary school she discovered art!  She was bright and hard-working,  and there were great opportunities for middle class young people in our country at that time.  She was able to study art at Brooklyn College, and then she went on to NYU to focus upon art history.  My mother earned a master’s degree from Yale University in 1956.  She was a role model for women, becoming an art professor at the University of Connecticut,  and 20 years later the Chair of the Art Department at U.C. Santa Cruz.   Joyce became a prominent art critic, author, and a professor of art history and modern art. 

            While at Yale, Joyce was awarded a Fulbright to study medieval art in France.  This spurred her passion for travel, visiting the castles and museums of Europe with her husband Garry, and later their daughter Shara. 

            Joyce was funny, shrewd, and loving.  Her family meant everything to her.  She was always eager to celebrate Thanksgiving and other holidays around the big, elegant table at her home in Santa Cruz.  Her mother Rose, her brother Stephen,  her daughter Shara, and Shara’s husband Michael were always there.   In 1995,  she discovered that she had second cousins (Aviva and Rick Longinotti) living in Santa Cruz, and these lovely people and their children were welcomed to the table as well. 

In 2014,  Shara and Michael adopted a nine-year-old boy from Panzhihua, China.  From the first moment  Joyce met Zeke, she “got him.”  Joyce shared with her grandson a quick wit and realistic perspective on life that seemed to draw them together from the very start.  From that time forward, Joyce was a passionate and dedicated grandmother.  At the age of 87, Joyce was willing to go through a second aortic aneurism surgery because she wanted to see Zeke grow into a young man.

            Joyce’s daughter and her cousin are planning a Celebration of Life that will take place in Santa Cruz, CA on August 4, 2019.  Please click on the condolences section of this webpage to provide us with your email address and to get a formal invitation to the event.   Feel free to share a comment about Joyce if you would like. 

 

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A Memorial Tree was planted for Joyce
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ the staff at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel
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