Joyce Elaine Henderson

Joyce Elaine Henderson passed away peacefully on November 13, 2019 at Rose Arbor Hospice. Joyce was the daughter of Robert and Pearl (Rose) Nichols. She has one sister, Donna Gray. Growing up their parents owned the grocery store in Scotts Michigan. The girls were not much interested in helping to run the business. Then, just like now days, teenagers have their own ideas of taking care of business. They enjoyed more socializing with their friends. Joyce always told of stories of how the town kids would get together and swim in the marl pit in Scotts. She said it was gross and dirty, but all the kids in town had fun. Later in life she married Jean Blodget and together they had four children; Jeanine, Lori, Tracy and Brian. Soon after Brian was born, doctors discovered that Jean had a brain tumor. He passed away when all the kids were pretty young. Now on her own, raising four kids is a testament of how strong of a person she had to be. Joyce was an avid reader and loved to read mysteries. She loved to garden and always had flowers around her house. She couldn't wait to pick some of the flowers and bring them inside to enjoy them more. She worked many jobs to keep food on the table and provide for her children. Her favorite job that she absolutely loved was working at the Greenhouses in Comstock. When Joyce and William Henderson met, they found that they truly enjoyed each other's company and it wasn't long before they were married. Her sister Donna was the maid of honor and Donna's husband Jim was the best man. William and Joyce enjoyed traveling together. They visited Washington State, Dollywood, and many other historical sites. They enjoyed fishing trips with friends and even purchased a travel trailer, as they both loved to camp. They especially liked to camp at Blue Lake in Climax. A lot of the Henderson family and friends gathered there and had a great time together. They called it "Hendersonville" as most of the camp ground was taken up by their group. Joyce was a pretty happy person who only regretted one thing in her life, quitting school in 10th grade. She always said that she wanted to get her diploma, so she eventually went back and obtained her GED and graduated on the honor roll with all A's and B's. She had the highest grade in her class. She was very proud of herself and what she had accomplished. Joyce was a very strong willed woman. She was always willing to help out anyone at anytime, as she was a very generous and kind hearted person. For those that were blessed to know her, you were blessed to hear her opinion. Like it or not, that's who she was, and who everyone loved. Joyce is survived by her husband William Henderson and her four children; Jeanine (Al) Peake, Lori (Mark) Mastenbrook, Tracy (Ed) Boldgett, and Brian (Michelle) Blodgett. She leaves behind two step-daughters; Chris (Jim) Faas, Sarah (Dale) Olmstead and eight grandchildren; Samantha, Amanda, Brittany, Amber, Jamie, Trevor, Alecia and Abigail. She is proceeded in death by her great granddaughter, Violet Blodgett. There will be a friends and family gathering in remembrance of Joyce, at the home of Bill and Joyce in Fulton on December 6, 2019 between 1-5pm. A private ceremony will take place in the spring at Fort Custer. In memory of Joyce, memorial contributions can be given to Rose Arbor Hospice, located at 5473 Croyden Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49009.