Joyce J. Lacroix

Joyce J. Lacroix

September 1, 1937 – December 28, 2022

Preceded in death by grandson, Michael Lacroix. Survived by husband, George Lacroix; sons: Richard (Karen) LaCroix, Steve (Elane) Lacroix, John (Amy) Lacroix; daughters: Suzanne (Dave) Nelson, Pam (Don) Clifford, Mary (Steve) Davis; 19 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; sister, Darlene (Mike) McKinley.

VISITATION: Sunday, January 1st, 3PM, with 5PM VIGIL at West Center Chapel. To view a live broadcast of the Vigil, go to www.heafeyheafey.com and click the “View Live Cast” button.

MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Monday, January 2nd, 10:30AM, St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 11802 Pacific St.

Private family interment at Omaha National Cemetery.

Joyce Josephine Lacroix (Hall) was born on September 1, 1937 in Toledo, Ohio; died December 28, 2022 in Omaha, Nebraska.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Magdalena (Lena) and Leslie James Hall; stepfather, Herman Eugene (Pops) Hall; sisters, Betty Christie and Verlajean Geiger; brother, David Hall; grandson, Michael Lacroix.

Joyce is survived by her husband of 63 years, George; children: Richard (Karen), Suzanne Nelson (Dave), Pamela Clifford (Don), Steven (Elane), John (Amy), and Mary Davis (Steve); 19 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Joyce went to high school at Central Catholic High School in Toledo. After she graduated, she got her certificate as an X-Ray Technician, and worked at Mercy Hospital until her marriage.

Joyce met the love of her life when her brother-in-law brought home a stray serviceman from the airbase he was stationed at. The tall, dark, and handsome man gradually swept her off her feet, and when she was 21, he visited her home again for Christmas. This time he was prepared and on December 27 he proposed to her at the Toledo Zoo in front of the peacocks. She said “Yes!” and 6 weeks later, they were married in St. Agnes Church in Toledo.

Children came along quickly, and by the time she and George were married 6 years they had 5 kids, at 3 different Air Bases. She got her wish to travel! Most of the postings were in places that had brutal winters. It took a posting to Ramstein, Germany for her to have her last daughter, Mary.
Orders were cut for Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, and the family packed up yet again to move. The family stayed with Joyce’s mother and step-father on Long Lake, Michigan while George went on ahead to Omaha to procure a house for them. They decided to move the family to a trailer in Plattsmouth while the house was being finished so the kids could start school in Nebraska. That August was brutally hot, and George, Joyce, 6 kids, 4 Siamese cats and a German Shepherd puppy had to make the best of things.

The house was finally finished and it was time to pick a church to attend. Of the several they looked at, Holy Ghost was the one they chose. Joyce jumped into the social life at church, and made sure her children received a Catholic education through CCD, and then by attending the school. She and George always managed to find the money to pay for church school for the children, no matter how tight finances were.

As her children got older and started families of their own, she relished being a grandmother. The grandkids called her “Grandma Nut”, and they adored her. She doted on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and enjoyed being around them.

Joyce had her opinions, and she wasn’t averse to sharing them. She loved blue carnations. Not yellow or red or pink, they had to be blue. She loved to travel. She and George made sure to take several cruises together, after he retired.

Joyce was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a friend to all who met her, and active in the church. She had a big impact on all whose lives she touched. She will be missed.