Joyce Elizabeth Claire Archer Henriquez

Joyce was born on March 16, 1923, in Toronto, Canada to Cyril and Ida Archer. Much of her childhood was spent in Vancouver, Washington, and Northern California. She and her sister, Lois were talented singers and dancers and performed in nightclubs in San Francisco during WWII. It was there that she met the love of her life, George Henriquez, a lieutenant in the US Air Force. They married in 1944 and traveled from base to base: Florida, Mississippi, Albuquerque, Denver, England, California, and back to Albuquerque when George retired. One of her proudest achievements was becoming a naturalized American citizen. During that time, she learned to cook, making favorite dishes of arroz con pollo, garbanzo bean soup, and coffee pie. Joyce also became expert in sewing, knitting, embroidery, and crocheting, talents she passed on to her daughter. She taught knitting and was buyer/manager of the knitting department at Fedway for several years. Later, she took up beading and created many extraordinary pieces of jewelry and beaded clothing. She assisted George in the making of his jewelry by helping him cast his silver najas and by stringing the necklaces he made. During the 70's and 80's, Joyce (with George) produced and directed two arts and crafts shows annually. She loved animals, especially cats; she will be missed by those kitties, especially Pretty Girl, Pepe, and Ivory. She grew beautiful orchids and loved butterflies and hummingbirds. She was a strong woman, surviving heart problems, breast cancer, and a stroke. Joyce was an elegant beautiful lady who read voraciously, who always had an opinion about politics and who loved her family fiercely. Joyce was predeceased by her husband, George; her parents; and her sister. She is survived by her daughter, Leah and her husband, Mark Ready. She will be buried at the Santa Fe National Cemetery with George. Please join us for a celebration of her life at 2:00 p.m., on Sunday, June 15, 2014, at Monroe's Restaurant on Osuna (between San Mateo and San Pedro). She will be greatly missed. Parting is all we know of heaven, And all we need of hell. Emily Dickinson