This information about the passing of Joyce Carruthers comes from John Sheridan.
CARRUTHERS, Joyce (nee Schofield) Born May 31, 1937 in North Wales, UK. It is with the greatest sadness and shock that we announce the sudden passing of our mother on September 25th, 2010. Grannie Joyce will be lovingly remembered for her endless energy and spirit. Small in stature but large in life. She knew many and touched even more. A wife, mother and grandmother with a passion for natural landscapes, rare plants, rock gardens and adventure she travelled extensively in later life spending time in Karlik, Czech Republic and touring faraway places with her best friend Zdenek Zvolanek (aka ZZ). Her love of rock gardens and alpine plants matured with some significant works created in Colorado, Scotland and Denmark for all to enjoy. Editing journals and authoring plant related masterpieces demonstrated her devotion to correctness. Grannie Joyce is predeceased by her husband, Lester and her sister Renee. She is survived by two sisters, Alma Schofield and Mollie Evans (nee Schofield), her daughter Amanda Carruthers (John Ellis) and grandchildren Ffion and Evan, her daughter Zoe Strand (Alan) and grandchildren Keenan, Sinclair and Cooper and her son Philip Carruthers (Alison) and grandchildren Tegan, Tessni, Marin and Bryan. She will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who knew her. A gathering in her memory is planned October 8th at 1:30pm, McCall Bros. Funeral Home, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. A reception will follow the gathering. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the charity of your choice.
There is a "book" of condolence open for Joyce on the website of a Victoria newspaper where you can add your respects for the Family.... .....
http://www.legacy.com/guestbook/can-victoria/guestbook.aspx?n=joyce-carr...
It is a supreme and cruel irony that as we have mourned the passing of Jim Archibald and move to prepare the next issue of 'International Rock Gardener', we have been devasted by the news of the death of one of our greatest IRG supporters and contributors, the wonderful Joyce Carruthers.
Joyce has written much of what will become the October issue of IRG and it was as I worked on the feature that I learned of her death.....it was a terrible shock that I would not ever care to repeat.
The IRG Team are thankful for the messages for Joyce and Zdenek Zvolanek that have
been sent to us in sympathy for Joyce's loss.
We can only imagine the awful grief of ZZ and Joyce's lovely family and I know that all her many NARGS friends willjoin with me in expressing our deepest condolences to them.
I hope that it may be possible to be cheered to read our words on Joyce Carruthers in IRG 10, along with her super article about this summer in the "Wild West" which we hope will be a fitting remembrance of this fine woman and loyal friend.
Margaret Young
IRG Team