Gloria Boyce
Mystic — Gloria Santin Boyce, 94, passed away on Dec. 27, 2017, at home, surrounded by her loving family.
Gloria was the eldest of three daughters of Joseph S. and Ida P. (Panciera) Santin of Mystic. She is survived by her husband, Lester Boyce; their sons, Peter and his wife Deborah Macy of New Bedford, Mass., and Joseph and his wife Theresa Hamelin of Lincoln, Mass.; and her grandchildren, Amy Boyce and William Boyce and his wife Lisa. She is also survived by her sister, Doris Lamb of Mystic. She was predeceased by her youngest sister, Jaqueline Chapman. Her father, Joe, founded Santin Chevrolet Co., which was located on Holmes Street in Mystic for 45 years.
Gloria was a graduate of Katheryn Gibbs School. She and Les met during World War II when he was assigned to Avery Point Coast Guard station in Groton. They married on Oct. 25, 1945, and moved to Boston for Les to attend college at the Museum of Fine Arts on the GI Bill. While Les was in school, Gloria worked for the regional headquarters of Oldsmobile. They then moved to Needham, Mass., where they raised their sons and lived until 1990. After Les retired from his career as an advertising executive, they moved to Cohasset, Mass., where they lived until September 2017, when they moved to Mystic. The family summered at Groton Long Point for 25 years.
Gloria was devoted to her family. She enjoyed travel, art history, and visited Italy, France and England multiple times. She and Les went to Bermuda every April for 25 years. They loved to dance to the old tunes, reminding them of their courtship at the Russian Rooster in Groton. Gloria loved a good party with family and friends and she credited her long life to vodka, cigarettes and a relentlessly positive outlook. For the last six months, she fought a rare form of skin cancer, but she never lost her positive outlook and continued to enjoy life with her family until the very end. She was an inspiration to all who knew her and will be greatly missed.
A small service will be held for family and a few close friends. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in her name to Dana Farber Cancer Institute.