Joyce A. Sanders

Bob and Molly, Julie and Mike, Joann and Wade, Stephen and Ellen, Mary and Mike, and especially John and Caroline Sanders:     It is so sad hearing about the passing of your mom. I don’t have a lot of funny memories but I bet you all do. What I remember about your mom was her funny laugh, her smile and her devotion to your Dad and all you kids. She was so proud of all of you. We all had a lot of fun over the years growing up at the K of C at the Fink family reunions I attended. I am sure this will date me but there were a lot of good water balloon fights, some tough horse shoe pitching competition, volley ball, softball, swinging on the extra tall swing sets, going to a pool to swim, wonderful picnic tables full of food, table games (mostly card games) and lots of ice cold pop (and beer). I remember John Joe (and Barb Kunkel) running around welcoming everyone, getting them settled, swigging away at his huge ice cold ice tea container. He’d be getting the charcoal going (if needed), offer you a pop and he be hustling/ getting tables and table set up for the various family member sub sets (like the Kunkels, Finks, Becks, Sanders, Norris, Koebels Pierles, Guidishs and all the out of town Cincinnati relatives that we’d see once a year there. John Joe always seemed to have another person helping him with the welcoming detail and many times I remember that being your Dad. Bob Sanders was always helping getting everyone settled in, find a picnic table or two and make sure everyone said hi to each other. I remember the Sanders and Kunkels and Finks tables were always next to each other and you all had quite the large number of kids, boyfriends / girlfriends, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and friends there. Your Mom memories for me were that she had all you kids there and kept trying to get us all to interact more (in order for us to get to know one another better). Most of us seemed kinda shy and not wanting to venture out of our little nuclear family’s tables, we might not be into any of the sports or want to play table games with any cousins that we didn’t know very well, but your mom and my mom kept nudging us all to interact; to get to know one another. As I look back on this now, I realized why …because my mom and your mom were such close cousins growing up that I didn’t realize until I spent the last few months with my mom how close they were. My mom tells me how Joyce and her spent many a summers playing together when they were growing up and doing the girl counsins kinds of things. I imagine them being closer to each other – more like close sisters. I remember seeing your mom at the hospital and her story about my mom’s 14th birthday. Joyce said that they rode bikes between each others houses a lot in the summers and stayed at each others houses. Both mom’s were usually at work (no dads around) and so that had to make the best of it. On my mom’s 14th birthday, the other girls and Joyce got my mom’s boyfriend at the time (Joe Wipple?) to hide in a large box. The girls wrapped up the box and when my mom got there for the party, my mom opened the box and Joe popped out of the box and scared my mom to death (surprised in a good sort of way). Joyce said she’ll never forget how surprised my mom looked when he popped out of the box. Joyce said it was such a funny prank–one that she’d never forget–and all the girls loved it! That’s the Joyce I remember. One that enjoyed being a kid, enjoyed cousins, enjoyed family, friends, and anyone she came in contact with. She enjoyed life and I’m blessed to have known her and her passion for family.