Obituary of Joyce Printz

Joyce Enid Chappell was born on October 25, 1929, in Asquith, Saskatchewan to Thomas and Bessie (nee Oie) Chappell.   They later welcomed two more daughters, Marvel and Arlene.  Mr. and Mrs. Chappell farmed near Langham, Kuroki, and, finally the Margo district where Joyce attended Margo School.  She then enrolled in the 3-year nursing certificate program at the Yorkton General Hospital School of Nursing and made many life-long friends while she was there.  She graduated as a Registered Nurse in March of 1951. 

 During her time training as a nurse in Yorkton, Joyce met Kenneth Printz who was working in the city.  They were married on October 31, 1953.  They soon moved to Toronto where Ken attended the Radio College of Canada and Joyce continued to work as a nurse.  Ken earned his Electronics Technician Certificate in October 1955, and the couple then moved to Hamilton where he worked for Canadian Westinghouse and she worked again as a nurse.  After about a year they made their way back home to Saskatchewan and Ken opened his own business in Yorkton—KP Radio and Television Service (aka KPTV).  For many years Joyce worked as his bookkeeper, a skill she acquired with help from her sister-in-law Corrine (“Corky”) Printz.  

Joyce and Ken became parents in 1959 when Dean arrived and again in 1964 when Scott showed up to bump the family to an even four.  They all lived on 86 Alexandra Avenue, the place Ken and Joyce called home for fifty years. 

Joyce re-entered the nursing profession several years later after taking a refresher course in Saskatoon.  She worked once again at the Yorkton Union Hospital until her retirement in March, 1992. 

 After working all those long hours as a nurse Joyce made an easy transition to retirement and kept busy—or as busy as she wanted to be.  She always enjoyed gardening and planting flowers and for many years she was a member of a bowling league with some of her old friends. She was a big fan of the Roughriders and looked forward to seeing them play on television or listening to their games on CJGX radio and they even attended the occasional game at Taylor Field.  A highlight (albeit a freezing one) was the 1995 Grey Cup Game in Regina.  Both Ken and Joyce loved to attend Dean’s and Scott’s band performances—they were in the audience for virtually every concert—and Joyce spent many hours working at Band Booster fundraising events.  She also donated to many charities, always willing to help others in need.  Ken and Joyce especially loved socializing with friends and relatives.  They were very proud of their membership in the “Alexandra Gang,” a group of about seven couples from the street (and a few honorary ones) that had great fun celebrating New Year’s Eve and Grey Cup Sunday, among other things, for many, many years. 

When Ken’s health began to decline they moved to Saskatoon in October, 2013 where they lived at Samaritan Place until he passed away in September of 2014.  Joyce made a few moves within Saskatoon but eventually returned to Samaritan Place for her remaining 5 1/2 years.  Her mobility became very limited and her health began to decline but the wonderful staff took great care of her and she was very well-liked by everyone.  She passed away on Saturday, January 27, at the age of 94. 

Joyce was predeceased by her parents, her sister Arlene, and her husband Kenneth.  Her memory is cherished by her sons Dean (Kim) of Melville and Scott (Christine) of Saskatoon and her sister Marvel Wenzel of Dalmeny, SK, along with their families and her friends.