Joyce Farrar Fisher
Joyce Farrar Fisher
After a wait of five years and six months, on Dec. 3, 2025, Joyce Farrar Fisher, age 94, finally joined the love of her life, John “Archie” Fisher, in Heaven. Born in the Town of Portland, New York, on July 20, 1931, Joyce was the third child of William and Alice Shepard Farrar. High school sweethearts, Joyce and Archie attended Chautauqua High School where Joyce was a cheerleader and Archie played basketball and baseball. Joyce and Archie got married in 1951, right before Archie left for the Army. They later spent a few years in Ohio, where Joyce supported Archie’s college career; and then the couple settled back in Chautauqua County. In the early 60’s they ran Southside Food Shop on Foote Avenue in Jamestown and the grocery store on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution.
In 1962, when the family had grown to six, they moved to Cape Coral, Florida, and Joyce managed the household while Archie taught school and mowed lawns. When Archie retired in the early 80s, the couple bought a fund-raising business that enabled them to travel throughout the country. Over the years they enjoyed ballroom dancing, camping, travel, and just spending time together. In 2017, the couple moved to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, to be closer to family; and Joyce nursed Archie through his last illness in 2020.
Joyce was the last of her generation on both the Farrar and Fisher sides of the family. She is survived by her five children, Sandra Fisher Swanson, Patty Jazvac, Nancy Evolga, Kathy Brown, and Richard Fisher; seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is planned for the end of January.