On December 15th, my dear friend and writing colleague, Joyce Barnes, passed away quietly in her sleep. She had been fighting brain cancer for 18 months. Remarkably, after removal of a sizable tumor early in the summer of 2007, Joyce managed to fulfill the wish list she made when diagnosed. She accompanied the family on a cruise to Austrailia last January, she attended the International Midwifery conference in Glasgow last May and leading up to that, she completed and published her book “The Green Lady: Memoirs of a Glasgow Midwife”. Brad and I were proud and priveleged to contribute to the book’s birth through editing, layout and book design as well as facilitating the publication and printing process. Happily, most of the original 1000 books have sold and a second printing is being considered.
Joyce, whose pen name was Helena Joyce, never lost her quick wit and humour. She was taken quickly and painlessly while her two daughters, Morag, from Austrailia and Sheila, from Wales, accompanied Rick at the Palliative Care Unit. I spent some time with her just six days prior and we discussed other projects she would like to have published. Brad and I hope to help that dream come true someday. In our hearts, this dear and lovable lady lives on through her many stories and characters, including ‘Smithy, the Transfer Beach Ghost’, ‘The Adventures of Molly and Donegal’ and ‘Angus McDuff’. I love you, Joyce.
Peggy
