Joyce K. (Elliott) Yankowsky

PORTLAND - Joyce K. (Elliott) Yankowsky, 76, loving mother and grandmother, passed away at Mercy Hospital on October 5, 2012, following years of declining health. Most recently she was a resident at the South Portland Nursing Home. She was a communicant of Holy Cross Church in South Portland. Joyce was born November 21, 1935, the daughter of George and Margaret Elliott. She was educated at Cathedral School in Portland. After school she worked for many years at the First National Bakery in Portland, retiring in 1971 to become a fulltime homemaker. Joyce was an avid reader, sometimes reading entire novels in a single evening. She also possessed a vast knowledge of movie trivia, able to relate the details of almost any movie she watched, including the year a movie was made, actors, directors and musical scores. Joyce also served as a layperson at Holy Cross Church for many years. She married her husband, Henry Yankowsky on September 18, 1954 in Portland. They raised their three children in the Meetinghouse Hill section of South Portland. She was predeceased by her mother and father, her husband Henry and her brother Richard Elliott. Joyce is survived her son, Henry and his wife Karon of Dallas Plantation; two daughters, Margaret Peters of Portland and Janet Yankowsky and her fianc(c) Shawn Lambert of Casco; her brother, George Elliott and his wife Maybelline of Lake Buena Vista, FL and granddaughter Gabrielle Sloan of Gorham. The family would like to thank the staff at the South Portland Nursing Home for the years of devoted care for our mother. Visiting hours will be held at Conroy-Tully Crawford Funeral Home, 172 State Street, Portland, on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 from 4:00 to 8:00pm. Prayers will be recited at 10:15am on Wednesday, October 10, 2012 followed by an 11:00am Mass of Christian Burial at Holy Cross Church, corner of Broadway and Cottage Street, South Portland. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Broadway, South Portland. Those who wish may make contributions in Joyce's memory to: American Diabetes Assoc.Portland Maine Division, PO Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.Online condolences may be expressed below.