Geraldine Joy DAY

Notes:

In the 1940 census, she was Joy Geraldine, age 21. She was a stenographer for the U.S. Forest Service and had made $553 in 1939. She had one year of college. She had lived in Pullman in Whitman County in 1935 although her parents and sister had lived in Okanogan.

She was Joy Day in the State College of Washington-Pullman yearbook of 1936.

Her obit:

Joy Sullivan’s life spanned nearly a century. Her mother Esther Williams (later known as Gah) was the Whatcom County Sheriff’s daughter who learned to drive on a fire truck and was the first woman to strip off her long stockings to swim in Bellingham Bay. Her father Lyman (Gus) Day was a seaman on the first ship to travel through the Panama Canal en route to the West Coast. When ashore, he fell in love with Esther. Esther and Lyman married and settled in Bellingham where Joy was born.

Joy was a child of the depression. Esther and Lyman purchased an apple orchard and moved with Joy and her sister Bill to the hills of Okanogan. It was a hard life – an outdoor privy and bathwater heated on the stove. Hers was a happy childhood. She was a pianist, violinist, and a voracious reader. Their home was a magnet for friends, welcomed day and night with food, music, and joy. After many years, the orchard became a victim of the depression and was repossessed by the bank. The family moved permanently to Seattle.

From an early age, Joy had a delightful sense of humor. She regaled in stories of her embarrassment.  The home brew exploded in the bathtub when the temperance-preaching school board president was present. She drove her father’s car into a ditch, after which he unfairly promptly removed the motor and transferred it to a tractor. The family horse Barney would immediately sit whenever she mounted him. Her much-adored “bratty little sister” hid in the apple tree witnessing her kissing a boyfriend and telling all in a message Joy discovered opening her suitcase on her first day at college.

Bill often described Joy as ‘the smartest student in their school.’As valedictorian, Joy was awarded a full scholarship to Pullman where she became a Chi Omega. She was self-depreciating. She often recalled that “she entered to study music and languages, only to discover she was good at neither.” She dropped out two years later, obtaining a position in the Bremerton Naval Yard. She was among the throngs of the heartbroken who witnessed hundreds of sailors, many who were counted as friends, return from Pearl Harbor in body bags.

Joy met her husband Ed (who grew up in Freeport, Long Island) on a train en route to Florida to see her sister. He was a handsome army lieutenant on leave to enjoy some sunshine before being deployed to the Pacific. He insists he hooked up with her because she was the only one on the train with beer. She emphatically denied this, but admittedly fell in love at first sight. They were married in New York City after knowing each other only a few weeks. They had three children – Candace (Candy), Michael (Mike) and Terrence (Terry). The marriage lasted until his death, just short of 50 years.

After Ed returned from the Army (and recovered from serious first-degree burns that occurred when repairing their car), Ed and Joy briefly lived in Liberty Lake, Washington. They later settled in Seattle where Ed was employed as a Boeing technician. Joy was active politically and served multiple times as a local precinct committeeman. She recalled family stress when she campaigned for Eisenhower and Ed for Stevenson. She was an avid supporter of Nelson Rockefeller for President (and wrote him in for many years when she disapproved of both party candidates). 

In recent years, she was a confirmed Democrat, finding that the Republican Party no longer represented her values. She proudly cast her final vote for Hillary, and fortunately did not live to see election results.

Joy was a stay-at-home mom for some 14 years. Her and Ed’s home was a hot-bed of activity. It was the gathering place for neighborhood children. There was a steady stream of friends for dinner, conversation, mushroom gathering, music, origami, and parties. She was renown for casual entertaining and outstanding cooking. She was especially recognized for her braided, home-made bread (though her children wanted Wonder Bread like all the other kids), sponge cakes, and cream puffs.

Tired of exclusively volunteering and concerned with paying upcoming college tuitions, she went to work at the University of Washington as a secretary. Her final position was in the Department of Psychiatry where she played multiple roles – researcher, editor, and office manager, as well as secretary. Her skills were recognized when a well-reviewed book “The Politics of Prostitution” was dedicated to her.

Work did not stop her volunteering. At one time she was active in three PTAs, the University Unitarian Church as a Sunday school teacher, and the Seattle Youth Symphony. Her happiest volunteer experience was serving as Secretary for the Japanese American Citizen’s League.

Upon retiring, Joy and Ed went to live on Angle Lake in her parents’ former home, a short walk from her much-loved sister Bill and brother-in-law Bud Jones. She prided herself on being a fine swimmer. She was a voracious reader. Her home was filled with books and magazines (her favorites being the New Yorker, New York Review of Books, Atlantic, and Discover). It broke her heart when her eyes began to fail and she could only read for short periods of time.
 
Ed died in 1992. She lived independently until double knee surgery in 2005 when she could no longer drive and Candy arranged for periodic home care. Terry moved in with her a few years later. Joy loved company and was known for her warm hospitality. She enthusiastically applauded performances by the Day cousin violin trio (Candy, Nancy, and Kacey), no matter how atonal.

Joy spent her final 15 months in home hospice care. Until the end, she insisted that visitors “have something to eat and come by for a swim.” She died as she wished in view of her beloved Angle Lake.

Joy mourned the recent deaths of her sister and brother-in-law, son-in-law, and close friends of her generation. She is survived by her three children and her son Mike’s wife Linda. 

The family deeply appreciates those who provided Joy with loving care in her final months. These include Robbi Badure, Saida Mukhtar, Lisa Berlin, Cynthia Finney, Chaz Lindsey, Vivian Karanja, Hannah Gikonyo, and Sarah Schott. We are also grateful to her long-standing friend Cathy Gosho whose visits and brownies cheered her days, Susan Randlett whose flowers and visits always lifted her spirits, Sun Dat who made sure she always had food and drink, Erna Brodber who shared her writings and always remembered her birthday, Niece Nancy Erickson an adored regular visitor who also took over caregiving oversight when Candy was travelling, and Nephew Andy Jones and Niece Kacey Jones Miller whose periodic visits and support brought her great joy.

A memorial celebration will be held on April 21 at 12:30 pm at Tahoma National Cemetery. It marks the occasion of what would have been her 99th birthday. The cemetery is located at 18600 SW 240th Street, Kent, WA 98042. Her husband, sister and brother-in-law, and son-in-law are buried there as well. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Seattle Opera or Audubon.

Birth:
Her birthdate is 21 Apr 1914 in Washington Births on Ancestry. However, she was 20 months old at the time of the 1920 census.

Family/Spouse: Edward Daniel SULLIVAN. Edward was born on 28 Sep 1909 in New York; died on 29 Nov 1992 in Seattle, King County, Washington; was buried in Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, Washington. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]