Joyce Bowen

Fan
Name:	Joyce Bowen
Alias(es):	Jade Day
Type:	writer, editor
Fandoms:	Star Trek: TOS, Blake's 7
Communities:
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Joyce Bowen was a Star Trek: TOS and Blake's 7 fan, known for her championship of all things Roj Blake/Gareth Thomas. She was a frequent LoCer to K/S letterzines, a zined, and fanwriter.

Joyce passed away on October 29, 2005.

Fans Remember Joyce

[Vicki R]
Joyce Bowen was my good friend. She was that rare person who is genuinely thoughtful, and always on the lookout for special things to brighten her friends' lives. A funny, silly card, a newspaper clipping or magazine article, an email about something she'd seen that she knew you'd be interested in; birthdays, and remembering your favorite things and delighting in giving them to you - these were all things that were a natural part of Joyce, when thinking of her friends. If there was something fannish that was difficult for you to get, she would go out of her way to see if she could manage it for you. I think she loved being able to give people these little unexpected 'treats'. Many is the time that we visited an art fair or just went shopping or to a movie, and out for a good meal and a little girl talk (Joyce loved all these things, and I was happy to enjoy them with her), and the next holiday or birthday, there was something I had ooh'd and aaah'd over but wouldn't buy myself - and Joyce had gifted me with it. She remembered what peoples' likes and dislikes were, and in this busy world, to me that was a special kind of caring. She was also a believer in the therapeutic value of a good vent, and was invariably supportive and cheering when on the receiving end. Joyce, however, didn't see her actions as anything special - they were just the sort of things you did for people you cared about. She really didn't know what a good friend she was. I certainly did. Her sudden passing has left a large hole in my life, and I will miss her very much.

[Kathy R]
I met Joyce Bowen quite a number of years ago. We were both part of a southern California slash group that meets regularly at people's homes. I got to know Joyce quite well over the years. A few years ago, several of us, including Joyce, developed a tradition of going out for dinner after one of these parties, 'carrying on the party' in a smaller, more intimate group, sharing thoughts and ideas and confidences, knitting together the ties of our 'fannish family'. In between parties/dinners we carried on an extensive email correspondence. Joyce was bright and funny and witty. She was fearless in her opinions, and extraordinary in her generosity. She had a real gift of finding things - videos, magazine articles, photos, artwork - that she knew her friends would enjoy; she made a habit of surprising her friends with these gifts throughout the year. Just two weeks before she passed away, I received a package from her in the mail containing two videotapes of a show she knew I'd enjoy watching. I've heard many, similar stories from all those who knew her. Her death was a shock to all of her friends. She is very much missed.

[L]
My new friend, she was so loved by me and we had so much in common. She helped by being there for me anytime I needed her. Now I am bereft. The loss of such a beautiful soul diminishes everything I care about, although I know that no soul is ever really lost. Thank you, Jenna, for giving Joyce and me at least a few months of togetherness in our separate but shared purgatories. [some personal things redacted] I will miss her LOCs and her informative input to the KSP. She loved your/our publication so dearly.

[Jenna S]
I never met Joyce, although we did correspond by email. She often wrote to me with some news that she’d managed to pick up or to alert me to some television appearance of her beloved William Shatner. She was a good email friend. And all those months when she contributed something to The K/S Press! Sometimes she was the only contributor. Which I always thought was so interesting, since she was equally devoted to Blake’s Seven and K/S, and she often expressed her displeasure with the K/S stories she read or the art she saw! Joyce was blunt, that’s for sure, but she had strong opinions that she felt comfortable sharing. And often what she wrote prompted a response from someone, so it kept the conversation going. Joyce was sorry on those months when she hadn’t read anything new or hadn’t been able to purchase a zine, and she apologized to us for those times as if she felt an obligation to us, when we were really the ones who felt an obligation to her.... For KiScon 2001, Joyce sent me a lot of her fannish collection for sale. Her husband was retiring and she felt that she wanted to clear the house of it. I sold some of it for her in the dealer’s room and the rest she just asked me to give away to anyone who would appreciate it. This action was really typical; I knew that she really wanted to contribute in some way to the convention, though she would never say it.... Joyce was like that, always contributing, always giving, and never presenting it as a gift or a contribution. She had a very generous heart hidden beneath a crusty exterior. I’m really going to miss her.

[Shelley B]
I still can hardly believe Joyce is gone from us. She was such a vibrant part of our fandom and I feel an empty space that can never be filled. Joyce was funny, clever and energetic. She was also extremely giving and generous with other K/Sers when she’d send zines and Star Trek things to fans especially to those overseas... I was at the slash con Escapade in Santa Barbara the first time Joyce ever attended. She was so excited and had an absolute wonderful time. In the earlier days of our fandom, she and I would see each other at the many get-togethers that were held around the Southern California area. She was always filled with excitement and fun and was truly a joy to be with. She bought a number of pieces of my artworks and her enthusiasm for my art brought me a lot of happiness. In recent years, she and I have only corresponded via email and now I wish I had visited her at her home as we continually said we would do. But she will always live on with all the delightful LOCs and myriad K/S and Star Trek-related news that she submitted to the K/S Press. I cannot think of anything else to say except that I will genuinely miss that woman.

[Maggy Edwards]
Joyce had been such a good friend, not just to me, but to the fan club (The Official Leonard Nimoy Fan Club). She supplied us with cuttings, video, and letters and was always thoughtful and eager to help. I remember the first time I met her during a trip to LA. In a letter I had mentioned I was looking for a Spock head (plaster cast). She insisted in driving me to Santa Monica to a store that had been selling them. The store had sold out so we stopped off for a drink on the way back to LA. I will never forget the fun time that was, with Joyce telling the most outrageous jokes complete with hand actions. She had the waiter blushing bright red. We became close friends after that, and I spoke to her on the phone only a week or so before she died. Her last words to me were “life is so unfair.” So very true. Every day there is something that reminds me of her. It was very hard to accept she won’t be around anymore, but the comments in the last KSP were so nice I felt I needed to add my few words. She once told me of all the fandoms she had experienced, the Trekkers were the most, most friendly. Despite her love of Gareth (Blakes 7), she still loved her Star Trek. We have lost someone who lived the dream.