Joy LaFontaine

An amazing woman has left planet Earth. Joy Jackson Eshom LaFontaine, 91, passed away peacefully and quietly May 23rd, 2014. She had a very joyous spirit that she shared with everyone she met, and which will continue to nourish her loved ones. She was sweet, fun, helpful, smart, loving, always active, and endlessly giving to others of whatever she had to share.

Her beloved husband Don and brothers Hal and Jackie predeceased her, as well as parents Ernest and Gladys (Jackson) Eshom. She is survived by daughters Julia LaFontaine of Tracyton, Jeanette LaFontaine Ridgeway of Port Orchard, and Michele LaFontaine of Steilacoom; sister Barbara Larson of Lynnwood; grandchildren Corey Anderson-Dale of Tacoma, Colby Ridgeway of Port Orchard, and Tony Anderson of Edmonds; great-grandchildren Breahna and Michael Anderson and Maddie and Camille Dale; her cousin Gloria Furno of Idaho; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews living near and far.

Joy grew up on a farm in Centralia and had many fascinating stories to tell about her childhood there. Though they lived through the Depression, it didn't have much effect on their rural, self-sufficient family, and she saw nothing odd about the three of them taking fried-egg sandwiches to school. She moved to Bremerton after the events at Pearl Harbor, to work at the Shipyard, but met Don and instead became a homemaker - and an excellent one! She and Don raised three caring, talented, and successful girls, two of whom raised their own terrific children, who have THEIR own terrific children. Joy was so proud of all her descendants, kept in close contact by letter and visits, and took great pleasure in all their accomplishments, her time with them, and their joy in life. Many magical Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations at her house are treasured memories for us all. She was also proud of her extended family near and far, corresponded often with them as well, and delighted in the many family reunions she attended. ... She was the core of the family to many, the place all the relations went to hear news of the rest of the tribe. She was also a great listener, and relatives confided in her and got good advice in return. Anyone in the family who needed a temporary home was welcome to stay with her. She was a champion of the underdog and underprivileged and always helped people and animals in need. There was no artifice in her personality, only joy and love and openness and concern for others.

She was a lifelong bowler in several different leagues - partnering with Don for many years; an accomplished baker who sent eagerly awaited 'care packages' of cookies to nephews in the service and delivered holiday cookie plates to neighbors, friends, and doctors; her girls remember walking home from Navy Yard City Grade School and, when they got halfway up the hill, smelling the delightful fragrance of whatever she was baking that day. She was a dedicated thrift-shop browser and garage-saler; her unique finds helped to furnish our homes and gardens. You had to be careful about admiring her possessions, as they would end up going home with you. She and Don enjoyed evenings with friends Bill and Valley Long, Andy and Colleen Sines, and Jim and Allie, among other couples; spent much time with her friends Butch Lillybridge and Dorothy Nelson--browsing Sally's, the Discovery Shop, St. Vincent's, and Goodwill for bargains, as well as making annual trips to Reno for a few days of nickel slot machines. She particularly loved marbles, had jars of them lined up on the dining room counter, and as one of her in-home caregivers (whose son had counted them) said, "She had 5, 432 marbles - and not once did she ever lose them. J :) She was an avid gardener, spending many hours of effort in building borders of rocks collected on many, many trips and searching out unique and unusual plants as well as common favorites; the plants she grew in her constantly tended beautiful, whimsical garden live on in the gardens of many relatives and friends.

The family camping trips up and down the west coast states, into Canada, and as far east as Yellowstone during the girls' childhood gave them a passion for the outdoors - and for collecting rocks! - which continues to this day. Long driving vacations were continued after the girls left home and Don retired; on one trip they visited 35 states and four or five Canadian provinces, charting the trips on a huge U.S. map on return. She was adventurous, and took on many challenges: backpacking Mount Rainier's 92-mile Wonderland Trail at ages 66 and 67 with her sister and two daughters (elevation gain - and loss! - 20, 000+ feet), hiking the mile-long switchback trail to the top of 848-foot Beacon Rock on the Columbia River, hang-gliding, taking her three grandchildren on a ride in a helicopter, trekking from the ferry to at least 62 Mariners home games in the '98 season, riding a zip line through the jungle in Honduras at age 84 - right before having surgery for heart valve replacement.

She traveled with her adult family often, enjoying camping and motel trips to the ocean, lakes, and mountains; a trip to Hawaii to visit a niece; a journey by train, canal-boat, and foot in Scotland, Wales, England, London, and Paris - during which she piloted the canal boat across an aqueduct (a straight run - no turns required!) with a walkway and railing on one side and a view over the other side straight down 126 feet to the valley floor and the river, and saw the Queen pass by on her annual birthday parade; and a week's driving trip in Ireland. She also sailed on four cruises, including one to Alaska at 86 in which she chalked up her 50th state - having traveled to all the other 49, and through the Panama Canal at 87 from Ft. Lauderdale to Seattle, when the extremely strong storm the coast was experiencing caused the captain to request all passengers to return to their cabins before the ship turned into the Strait of Juan de Fuca ... a turn that sent dishes crashing and passengers staggering and she was probably laughing in the stateroom she shared with Barbara.

She was up for any new experience and met them all with eagerness and huge grins. She aroused love and devotion from those who spent any amount of time with her, and was treated as a second mother/grandmother by many she met at home and on her travels. She never let anything get her down, and was an inspiration to family, friends, and everyone she met. She was a truly kind and caring human being, and this world has lost a genuine treasure.

We appreciate the devoted attention and care she was given by in-home caregivers until her move from her residence of 62 years, the loving and generous care from the wonderful staff at Willow Creek Adult Family Home in Port Orchard, and the many visits, support, and love from our cousin Michele Barker.

Family and friends will celebrate her life with a memorial picnic this summer. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to dementia foundations.