DARTMOUTH—Joyce Chandler Borden, our wonderful mother, died on July 3, 2018, surrounded by her family.
Born in Concord, NH on August 1, 1926, Joyce was the daughter of Esther Boutwell Chandler and Lawton Brown Chandler. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Bruce Andrews Borden, her parents and two siblings, Kenneth and Richard Chandler.
Joyce spent her childhood in Concord and her summers were spent at the family camp on Lake Winnipesaukee, a spot that would forever remain her favorite place. It was there that she met her lifelong companion and husband, Bruce.
Upon graduating with a degree in sociology from the University of New Hampshire in 1948, Joyce worked as a social worker at the State Hospital in Concord. In 1949, she married Bruce and eventually they settled in Padanaram.
Joyce was an exceptionally energetic and active individual who pursued a broad range of interests. Although she sometimes dreamt of returning to social work, she led a very civic-minded life. She devoted many years to the efforts of the League of Woman Voters, for which she served in many offices, including President. She was particularly proud of the League’s efforts in environmental causes, especially in persuading the Town of Dartmouth to acquire large tracts of unspoiled land for conservation and public recreation. She also served as a Dartmouth Town Meeting Member for two decades.
Joyce enjoyed gardening in the company of her adoring corgis, playing tennis well into her seventies and took up windsurfing in her sixties. She loved travelling and enjoyed lots of outdoor sports and the company of her bicycling, bowling and tennis group friends.
For many years she and Bruce sang in the S. Dartmouth Congregational Church choir, and she was an active member of the church’s Ladies’ Guild. A talented musician, she frequently served as church pianist and organist. She enjoyed painting trays and was an accomplished photographer.
Joyce was a kind and gentle woman, a loving mother and devoted wife. She was selfless and generous, a woman of firm principles who rarely allowed herself a critical word or negative thought. She had a great sense of humor, was always fun to be around and radiated endless sunshine across the lives of her family. She will be missed immeasurably.
She is survived by her three children, Nancy B. Ingersoll and her husband, Jonathan, of Cambridge Springs, PA; Richard C. Borden and his wife, Mira Davidovski, of Kensington, MD; and Jonathan B. Borden and his wife, Kathleen, of Dartmouth, MA; seven grandchildren and three great-grandsons; and her sister, Virginia Thorne, of South Conway, NH.
Calling hours are Friday, July 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wilson Funeral Chapel, 479 County Street, New Bedford, MA and memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 7 at 1 p.m. at the South Dartmouth Congregational Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to South Dartmouth Congregational Church or to New England Hospice.