In Loving Memory Of
Joyce Noel Cole
February 29, 1940 – June 26, 2026
Joyce N. Cole, 86, most recently of Santa Rosa, California, passed peacefully on June 26, 2026, at Petaluma Valley Hospital, after contracting pneumonia.
Born February 29, 1940, in Belvidere, Illinois, to Gladys and Nelson Cole, she grew up alongside her twin brother, Jiles, and older sister, Maureen. Joyce spent her Midwest childhood stealing occasional rides on horses, learning how to shoot rifles, honing her sewing skills, working summers at the local Green Giant plant, and dreaming of far-off places. While attending Southern Illinois University (SIU) in Carbondale, Illinois, Joyce met William (Bill) Mortonson. They married July 1964 in Wiesbaden, Germany, where Bill was stationed as a U.S. Army paratrooper.
After graduating from SIU in 1964 with a B.A. in English, Joyce taught English in Carbondale and Pawnee, Illinois. She later channeled her creativity into a successful home-based monogramming business while raising two children in Rockford, Illinois. After 18 years, Joyce and Bill divorced. Joyce then worked as a part-time florist, delivered Christine’s weekly news flyer via roller skates, and perused phone books at the Rockford Public Library. When she learned her Belvidere High School sweetheart, Oscar “Ockie” Hodel, was divorced, Joyce reconnected with him. After a brief but happy courtship, they wed in January 1984, in Rockford, Illinois. Joyce moved immediately afterward to Boulder, Colorado, kids in tow. In Boulder, she utilized her excellent typing and organizational skills as an administrative assistant and overseer of the historic Wells Fargo Bank safe deposit vault. She divorced again in 1991 and relocated from Boulder to Longmont, Colorado. Joyce retired from Wells Fargo in 2005. An avid reader, linguaphile, and puzzle lover (especially jigsaw and crossword puzzles), Joyce was also a master knitter, accomplished seamstress, and button collector. Curiously, she smoked for 60 years while simultaneously seeking nutritional solutions to bodily ailments. Go figure! Joyce amassed a trove of genealogical information on numerous branches of the family tree. She would have excelled as a research assistant.
Joyce is survived by her children, Christine (Jonathan) Cunha and Gregory (Alison Brewer) Mortonson; grandchildren Kai and Anwyn Cunha; twin brother, Jiles (Judy) Cole; niece, Jane Cole; and nephew, Jason Cole, and their families. She was preceded in death by her parents, Gladys (1990) and Nelson (1999) Cole; sister, Maureen C. Nichols (2018); and second husband, Oscar Hodel (2024). Her beloved dog, Jedda, age 16, died shortly after Joyce.
A graveside service will be held Monday, August 3, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Belvidere Cemetery in Belvidere, Illinois. Family and friends are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to hospice or a local animal rescue. The family would like to acknowledge the care teams at both Primrose Alzheimer’s Living in Santa Rosa and Petaluma Valley Hospital in Petaluma, California. Joyce received superlative nursing care in her final days. She will be greatly missed for the love she shared, her creativity and sense of humor.
Rejoice! ReJOYCE!
