TOOMEY, Joyce Cooper
Joyce Cooper Toomey of Annapolis, MD died peacefully of natural causes on February, 26th. Born May 5, 1938 to the late The Rev. Dr. Herbert H. Cooper and Catharine Kennedy Cooper, she spent her youth in Short Hills, NJ and Shelter Harbor, RI. Affectionately dubbed “The Queen” by her brothers, she proudly carried the title throughout her life. In 1960, she was graduated by Sweet Briar College with a B.A. in English. There she met her beloved husband of 41 years, Dr. Charles E. Toomey III on a blind date. One of her most cherished possessions was her Sweet Briar ring, which she proudly wore until the day she died. Joyce and Charley raised their family in Annapolis, MD and were active members of the community-serving at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, supporting the Rotary Club, sponsoring midshipman from USNA and enjoying The Annapolis Yacht Club. They summered in Dewey Beach, DE and took great pleasure in planning adventures on their power boat Band-It (a reference to braces on teeth) along the way collecting friends who would become family. While maintaining deep roots in Annapolis, they enjoyed a second home in Vero Beach, FL graciously welcoming friends and family and volunteering in the community. Joyce loved entertaining, education-both reading books and mentoring young learners, musical theater, animals and any child who might cross her path. She was raised in a strong Christian family and placed great importance on the sanctity of marriage, enduring faith and lasting family bonds.
Joyce is predeceased by her best friend Charley in 2002, her sister Joan Rumfield in 2006 and her brother John Cooper in 2018. She is survived by her four children and their spouses: Catharine T. Gregorie(Harry) of Charleston,SC; Charles Edward Toomey IV(Sara) of Severna Park,MD; Jennifer T. Driscoll(Charles) of State College,PA; Dr. Christopher Pope Toomey(Daniella) of Lutherville,MD; her brother The Rev. Dr. Jim Cooper of Ponte Vedra,FL and most importantly 14 grandchildren who will treasure their memories of their special “Joy Joy”.
The family would like to thank her wonderful caregivers known as “Joy Joy’s Angels”: Marcia, Nachelle, Kaiwana and Jordan who took great pains to ensure she lived a full and dignified life to the end.
Joyce will rest with her beloved Charley in the Memorial Garden at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Annapolis. A burial and celebration of life will be held later in 2021. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to either The Scleroderma Foundation www.scleroderma.org (800-722-HOPE) or Women’s Refuge of Vero Beach www.womensrefugevb.org (772-770-4424).