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In Memoriam 
Ned Joyce

Jim Cunningham

Ned and I met in the 9th Grade when he took a garden hose and sprayed me with water over a hedge on his front lawn.  Needless to say, I wanted to kill him!  That's how we became good friends after that.  We joined the U.S. Coast Guard and we were stationed together in San Diego, CA.  Ed Moses was in the Navy at that time so we all did a lot together.     

Ned had a musical background and was a talented musician.  He loved jazz.  While at the lighthouse, he bought a set of vibraphones and loved playing  Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington songs for us.  Ned was good on the vibraphones.     Ned's parents owned a large two story home on New York Drive in Altadena.  They devoted one room exclusively for music.  It had an organ, a grand piano and other musical instruments.  I remember being in the music room at Ned's house many times.  Hal Fore frequently came over and Ned would play the piano and the three of us would sing for hours. 

Ned and I  planned to travel all over the United States when we got out of the Coast Guard but  Ned got married and our plans were canceled.  I was an usher in his wedding party.  When people get married you kind of go your own way! 
 
We will miss him a lot.     
His Friend "Jim".

Eddie Moses 

I first met Ned Joyce at Eliot Junior High school, and despite being classmates at Muir, I really didn't have much contact with Ned until 1957 and 1958 after we joined the armed services and were stationed near each other in San Diego.  

Shortly after Ned and Jim Cunningham joined the Coast Guard they were stationed at Point Loma Light House, a national defense facility located in the most southwestern point of the United States.  I must admit I was rather jealous of their duty station.  Ned and Jim lived in a small, two bunk cabin on the lighthouse grounds.  It had a small kitchen and they bought their own food and cooked their own meals.  It reminded me of a beach house at Bal or Newport or Laguna during Easter Week.  By contrast I lived in a huge housing unit, with at least a hundred double tiered steel bunk beds lining two sides of the building.  We stood in long lines for chow and ate SOS or whatever mush they slung at us.

Ned and Jim's primary duty was to maintain the lighthouse, but their most critical duty was standing watch in front of the large green radar scope reporting ships, appearing  as little "blips" on the radar screen, to the Coast Guard Air Station located on the north shore of San Diego Bay. 
  
Whenever I had "liberty" and Ned and Jim had "duty",  I'd drive the 5 or 6 miles from the Naval Training Center, where I was stationed, to the lighthouse.  Although it was a scenic drive, in the late 50's the Pacific side of the peninsula was lined with Atlas ICBM missile silos.  While on the lighthouse grounds, I could fish off the rocks, or join Ned or Jim in the radar shack or listen to music in their cabin. 
 
When on liberty together, we'd drive into downtown San Diego and play miniature golf.  Ned was a great competitor and hated to lose.  What I recall most however is that we enjoyed harmonizing.  Ned was the teacher.  We tried to sing like the "Four Freshmen."  One song we constantly practiced was "Day by Day."  Under Ned's tutelage and direction, we had that song down pat.  Other songs we harmonized were  "Graduation Day,"  and "Goodnight Sweetheart." 

After discharge from the service in 1958, Ned, Jim and I became fraternity brothers,  joining the Phi Sigma fraternity at Pasadena City College.   We drank a lot of keg beer and sang more songs but our harmony was never the same for obvious reasons. 
 
Ned always had a warm, friendly smile and he loved a good practical joke.   Jim and Ned were best friends.  
I'll miss him too Jim.

Jack Truher

I went to parochial elementary school with Ned Joyce, through St. Elizabeth's in Altadena. Ned had a fine
boy tenor voice, and sang most of the solos at church events, following an older brother, Tom Joyce, who
was also a singing star there. 
 
 Ned was always energetic, even rambunctious, lively, personable, laughing spontaneously at the slightest
irony. I wished that such fun was as easy for me. I remember Ned again at John Muir High School, where he was president of the Boy's League and other such activities, including the Rhythm and Blues group I recall. Let the good times roll.

I recall a chance meeting in mid-1970s where I ran into Ned at a party. We compared notes. He said then, that he was about to start studying to be a chiropractor. He followed through, and can be found licensed by the California Board of chiropractic Examiners from January 01, 1980 through January 31, 1999.

Ned shared his quick sense of comedy and music whenever I knew him. He was special that way

Jim Carr

I'm very sorry to hear about the passing of  Ned Joyce.   Ned played piano for the Jimmy Carr Quartet, a group we called the "Hi-Fi's."  Stan Hollingsworth on drums; Freddie Magdalino blew tenor sax; Jim Carr, bass violin; and Ned Joyce on the piano.  We practiced at  Ned's house a lot. 

 Both our parents owned markets on Hill Street, just north of Walnut in Pasadena.  Joyce's Market was across the street from Carr's Market. Tommy Joyce,  Ned's older brother, ran their market with his dad. Ned worked in the store as I had to for my dad.

We had price wars with the Joyce bunch almost every day. My dad had charge accounts with certain customers and if he saw one of our charge customers going into Joyce's Market my dad would walk across the street (bloody butcher apron on) walk in Joyce's store and tell the charge customer to pay off the bill if they are going to spend their cash at Joyce's Market... true story. Ned and I would be so embarrassed .  We put the Carr's vs. Joyce's rivalry behind us when we played our jazz.  Like a typical jazz player of the times, Ned wore dark glasses . . . cool cat  . . .  too cool to smile. Just bobbed his head and swayed from side to side.  

With the recent passing of Lionel Hampton, internationally acclaimed giant of the jazz world, and the undisputed "King of the Vibraphone" Ned has someone to play  the "vibes" with.  

Ron Norick

I was so sorry to hear of Ned Joyce's passing. I will remember him always with a smile on his face, and a great sense of humor.      One of my first job's was selling Pic Sweet frozen food. I would stop by Joyce's market and Ned would always make time for me. He was a very special person! 

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