Joyce Schanel Obituary

Joyce Schanel, age 81, passed away on Friday, July 14, 2017 at a local care facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Joyce was born on July 5, 1936 in Dodge City, Kansas to the late Leslie Dean and Mildred Dolly (Brown) DeFord. She grew up in Garden City, Kansas and was a 1954 graduate of Garden City High School. She met her husband, Raymond Joseph Schanel, in Garden City. They married on June 27, 1955 and they settled in Colorado Springs to begin their life together after Ray's job as an air traffic controller took him to Peterson Air Force Base.

During the early years of their marriage, while Joyce's focus was being wife and mother, she also helped oversee the day-to-day running of the family's boarding stables. She later opened Schanel Frame Shop and Art Gallery, which she owned and operated for over twenty years. During this time, she developed a passion for genealogy and traced her and Raymond's family back several hundred years. Her searches took her and Ray traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada. She was proud of her enrollment into the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Joyce was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond; parents, Dean and Mildred; brother, Donald DeFord; and sister, Carolee (DeFord) Webster.

She is survived by her three sons, Douglas (Jo) Schanel of Colorado Springs, Dirk (Lisa) Schanel of Monument, Colorado, and Darin (Barb) Schanel of Colorado Springs; and two daughters, Debbie Jackson of Boise, Idaho and Dannis Schanel of Colorado Springs. She was grandmother to Paige, Elena, Nicole, Anna, Garrett, Maggie, Conner, and Brindi, and great-grandmother to Belle, Charlotte, Maia, Brenna, and Cheyenne.

Joyce loved her husband, Ray, and their family. She had a love for life and laughter that she passed on to each of her children, grandchildren, and those around her. Her zest for life also gained her many lifelong friends: from her life in Garden City and Colorado Springs, childhood girlfriends (including a trip to Europe after their 40th class reunion), social and volunteer activities, as well as friends through the local artist community from her time as a frame shop and small art gallery owner.

She will be missed by many.

Memorial Mass will be held 10:00AM, Tuesday, July 25, 2017 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church at 2318 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80907. Refreshments will be served at the parish hall immediately following.

The Schanel family would like to extend our gratitude to all the staff at Advanced Health Care for their love and care of our mother.

Donations in Joyce's memory can be made to the Colorado Springs Salvation Army Corps at 910 Yuma Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909.