A photo of Marian "Joyce" Vandever who passed away due to natural causes on September 10, 2017.
Joyce was born in Seattle, Washington to George and Eileen 'Connie' Tasker Benning. She attended schools in Bremerton, Wa where her father owned the local Chevy dealership. While attending the University of Washington, Joyce met her future husband, Frank Kroetch. After their marriage in 1949, they relocated to the Willow Glen area of San Jose, CA, where both their daughters were born.
Joyce first worked as an operator at the San Jose Water works, and later spent her career working for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Joyce served in the position as the secretary to the CFO for over 16 years, then retired 5 years later, while secretary to the head of the mental health division. Joyce loved traveling to the British Isles, taking road trips with her friends, attending plays and musicals, and spending time with her two grandchildren.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, husbands Frank Kroetch and Jack Vandever, her sister Lois Benning Ewen and step-brother Charles H. Barrett. She is survived by her daughters Kathleen Pinna and Pam Marks (Neil), grandchildren Daniel Pinna (Lisa) and Layne Marks-Jacobs, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Joyce Vandever (as she was known in her later years) was a loving mother of two daughters Kathleen Rae (Kroetch) Pinna & Pam (Kroetch) Marks who she had with Frank Kroetch, and grandma to two grandchildren Daniel J Pinna & Layne. Joyce had a half-sister, Lois (Benning) Ewen, the product of her father's first marriage. She also had a step-brother, Charles Henry Barrett Jr., from her mother's second marriage to Charles Henry 'Heinie' Barrett Sr.
She had many friends and relatives in California, Washington state, England and Wales. Her best childhood and lifelong closest friend was Beverly Clarice (Washington) Scoffone in Monte Sereno California. Joyce loved being a grandmother and spent countless weekends with her grandchildren. She lived in the California Hawaiian mobile home park at 3637 Snell Ave in San Jose for many years when it was an adult community.
To hear Joyce describe herself see Joyce Vandever In Her Own Words
Coming out of the Great Depression, the world faced another challenge in the 1940's: World War II. Although the war began in the 1930's, it expanded and gained in ferocity (and atrocities) in the 194...
My life-time love of geneology and old photos led to the concept of Ancientfaces back in 1999....through the site I have made contact with previously unknown cousins in Australia, Tasmania, England, Scotland and various states in the US, broadening and enriching my family stories, photos and family relationships.
The names I am researching resided in and/or settled the following areas: South Wales; Scotland; Northern Ireland; Normandy; Germany, Belgium & the Netherlands; Virginia; West Virginia, Kentucky, Kansas, Idaho and Washington state; first wave of settlers in the Hudson River & Mohawk River Vallies; founding fathers of New Haven, Middlesex and New London Counties, CT, along with Suffolk, Norfolk & Middlesex Counties in MA; first wave of settlers to Quebec and Ontario, Canada. Also, I am a member of the Mayflower Society after tracing my maternal side to John Billington, a Mayflower passenger ( with his family) who settled in Plymouth , and signed, the Mayflower compact.
I'm the creator of AncientFaces which we began in 2000 while I was a sophomore at Santa Clara University.
To our amazing friends and super active members - thank you for your support & patience as we've slowly but surely evolved AncientFaces into the place where our loved ones live on through our memories.
This particular account is for my personal interests. Feel free to reach out and say hi! One of my more colorful (ahem black sheep) relatives was one of the first to be hanged for criminal punishment in the U.S.
I want to build a place where my son can meet his great-grandparents. My grandmother Marian Joyce (Benning) Kroetch always wanted to meet her great-grandchildren, but she died just a handful of years before my son's birth.
So while she didn't have the opportunity to meet him, at least he will be able to know her.
For more information about what we're building see About AncientFaces. For information on the folks who build and support the community see Daniel - Founder & Creator. My father's side is full blood Sicilian and my mother's side is a combination of Welsh, Scottish, German and a few other European cultures. One of my more colorful (ahem black sheep) family members came over on the Mayflower. He was among the first to be hanged in the New World for a criminal offense he made while onboard the ship.
My mother is Pamela Thompson. My dad is Richard William Russell. My mom grew up in Fenwick Michigan. My dad grew up in Hart Michigan. They had 2 kids together. Living in Michigan. I have other Half siblings out there somewhere