Joyce Puntuzs

Joyce Puntuzs, 91, at rest December 20, 2025. Beloved wife of the late Bron for 48 wonderful years. Loving mother of Tony (Emily) Puntuzs and Rose Mary (Mike Johnson) Lipke. Dear daughter of the late Edwin and Elizabeth Heywood. Cherished grandmother of Eliza and Caroline. Dear sister of the late Eileen Noon. Visitation will be Friday, December 26, from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Chapels, 8300 W Lawrence Ave, Norridge. Prayers and Final Viewing will begin on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Eugene Catholic Church, Chicago, at 10:00 a.m.  Interment will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery in River Grove. Info: 708-456-8300

Joyce was born in 1934 in Yorkshire, England.  She enjoyed learning to play the piano from the time she was young, and in her late teens and early twenties she regularly accompanied a singer at a club where the displaced Latvians in that part of England would gather.  It was there that she met Bron.  Because neither Joyce nor the singer drove, Bron would drive them back and forth from the club to their homes.  Eventually, Bron emigrated to the United States, but he and Joyce continued to exchange letters.  In 1960, Bron invited Joyce to join him in the US and to get married, and she accepted.  After the wedding, Joyce worked in an office in Chicago for five years, until Tony and then Rose Mary were born.

Joyce passed her love of music along to her children, teaching them both to play the piano.  She took pleasure in spending time with family, walking in nature, working on puzzles, reading, and maintaining a clean house.  She was a member of Divine Savior Catholic Church in Norridge from 1965 until it closed in 2022.  Joyce liked to travel, and returned to England to visit her family several times, most recently in 2013.  She also enjoyed trips to the California coast, Arizona and the Grand Canyon, Virginia, New York and New Jersey, towns along the Mississippi River, and Florida.  She loved watching the Lawrence Welk Show and was thrilled to visit Branson, MO to see performers from that show live on stage.  Joyce was the proud grandmother of Eliza and Caroline, and delighted in watching them grow and develop their musical talents.  She will be greatly missed by all who loved her.