JOYCE P. BIRNBAUM (November 30, 1924 - June 23, 2025)

Joyce Barbara Pasternack Birnbaum was born on November 30,1924 to Rose and Aaron Pasternack of Hartford CT, the middle of 3 children, with older brother Alan and younger brother Clifford (Kiki).

Joyce grew up in Hartford and graduated Weaver High School, Class of 1942. Joyce attended secretarial school and had some jobs before she married Leslie P. Birnbaum of New Britain CT on August 29, 1948. Joyce and Leslie had two children, Ava and Ronald. They lived in Wethersfield CT, were active founding members of Temple Beth Torah, and moved to West Hartford CT in 1963. While raising their family, Joyce worked part-time as a keypunch operator at Aetna Insurance Co. and later as a full-time secretary in the CT Department of Education, from which she retired. In the mid-1980s, Joyce and Leslie retired part-time to Delray Beach FL during the colder months.

Joyce had an upbeat personality, a smile that lit up a room, and she loved life and her family. She had a terrific sense of humor. She was athletic and enjoyed playing tennis; during her retirement in Florida she participated in several women's leagues. She and Leslie also enjoyed ten-pin bowling. Their favorite entertainment was playing social bridge evenings at home with friends or family.

Leslie was diagnosed at age 79 with Alzheimer's Disease and passed away 10 years later in 2007.

Joyce then lived with her daughter Ava and her husband Howard most of the year in Florida and returned to her home in Bloomfield CT during the summers until 2018. When Ava and Howard moved to a 55+ community in Boynton Beach FL, Joyce participated in community activities and made many friends who admired her sunny and enthusiastic personality. Fifty relatives and friends celebrated her 100th birthday on November 30, 2024. She will be missed for her many bright smiles and sweetness to others. She leaves behind her brother Alan Pasternack, daughter Ava Schutzman (Howard), son Ron Birnbaum (Janice Grudt) of Chestnut Hill MA, brother-in-law Sidney Birnbaum, and several nieces, nephews and cousins. No grandchildren, to her dismay, but two adorable granddogs in their time gave her much pleasure.

Funeral services will be gravesite at the Emanuel Synagogue Cemetery in Wethersfield CT on

Friday, June 27 at 11 am.

To anyone wishing to make a memorial donation, we would suggest the Alzheimer's Association, www.alz.org.