Joyce Mahoney Webb

Joyce Mahoney Webb 

December 28, 1926 – January 8, 2023. After living a full life as a loving mother, devoted wife, and dear friend to many, Joyce Mahoney Webb died peacefully of natural causes at the age of 97. For nearly two years, she had been a resident of June’s Place, a memory care center at Mercy McMahon Terrace in Sacramento, California.

Joyce was born in Utica, New York, to Kathleen Dwyer Mahoney and Dan Mahoney, the fourth of five children in an Irish Catholic family. Her parents named her Joyce because they felt she would bring joy to the world. Living in upstate New York, Joyce excelled academically at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary School and later at Utica Free Academy, where she attended high school. In 1944, she enrolled at the College of New Rochelle in New York City, where she earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics.

Following her college graduation, Joyce received a full scholarship to attend Fordham University, where she obtained a master’s degree in math in 1949. At that time, it was highly unusual for a woman to major in math and even more rare for one to receive an advanced degree in that subject. Joyce once recalled how she was often the only woman in the classroom. She initially worked for several years as a mathematician in the engineering wing of Carrier Corporation in Syracuse, New York. Later, she had classified security clearance at Point Magu Naval Air Station near Ventura, California, where she worked on calculations for early mainframe computers which she described as the size of entire buildings. During this time period, the military station developed and tested most of the U.S. Navy’s missiles.

Joyce met her future husband, Charles “Chuck” Webb, when both were part of a bridal party and paired to walk down the aisle together as bridesmaid and groomsman during the ceremony. They kept up a lengthy correspondence after Chuck moved to California, and the couple married on April 30, 1955, in Waterville, New York. They honeymooned in the Poconos, a popular newlywed destination in mountainous Pennsylvania, and then drove across the country in a black 1940 Oldsmobile to their new life together in California.

Chuck and Joyce never moved back to the East Coast. After living in Carpinteria where they had four children – Callie, Kathy, Charlie and Anne – they moved to Sunnyvale in the San Francisco Bay Area and had three more children, Jim (“Danny”), Alice and Nora. They lived in an area now known as Silicon Valley for 38 years and were active members of St. Simon’s Catholic Parish Church in Los Altos. Joyce served as president of the bridge club and volunteered at many church events and at St. Simon’s Catholic School where her children went to school. She later served as president of the Altar Society while her children attended St. Francis High School. Along with her volunteer work, Joyce continued her interests in math and computers. While in her 50s she took programming classes at De Anza Community College and was often surrounded by students half her age seeking her guidance.

Nearly 20 years ago, Joyce and her husband moved to Sacramento, where they could be closer to family members and also a shorter distance to their beloved cabin at Lake Almanor. They spent part of each year up at the lake, where Joyce would sit on the deck, look at the water, and read one of many books she had at hand when she was not playing bridge with friends.

After 65 years of marriage, Joyce lost her beloved husband in July of 2020. In recent years, she suffered from dementia and lacked short-term memory, prompting her move to June’s Place. She never forgot her children, however, and always appreciated their visits. Joyce was a favorite at the memory care facility where she was known for her kindness and humor. Along with her children, Joyce is survived by 13 grandchildren, including Michael and Patrick Webb; Colin, Jackson and Maura Turcotte; Catherine, Ashlee, Kenneth, Matthew and Andrew Webb; and Sheri, Christy and William Pilch; and two great-grandsons, Clark Rhodes-Webb, and Jaxton Bye.

A funeral Mass for Joyce will be held at St. Robert’s Catholic Church in Sacramento on Saturday, January 28, at 11 a.m. In her honor, please consider a donation to June’s Place at Mercy McMahon Terrace in Sacramento, CA.