NATICK: Joyce Anita (Fickett) Blaney, age 84, died peacefully on Thursday evening, October 30, 2014, surrounded by loved ones. She was the cherished wife of Allison R. Blaney for 64 years.
Born, raised and educated in Milbridge, Maine, Joyce was a daughter of the late Sarah (Pinkham) Fickett Gagnon and Leamont Fickett. After graduating from Milbridge High School, she was employed as a telephone operator for several years. It was during this time that Joyce met her future husband who was then stationed nearby at Dow Air Force Base in Bangor Maine. She and Allison married after a two-year courtship.
The Blaney’s moved frequently in the early years of their marriage, moving to the various bases where Allison was assigned. After his retirement from the service, their growing family lived in Wakefield, and eventually settled in Natick in 1964. Never one to be idle, Joyce took on a newspaper delivery concern that she faithfully attended to for 35 years, often delivering twice a day. Among her papers were the erstwhile Middlesex News, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and the Wall Street Journal. Additionally, Joyce took care of cleaning at the Ethan Allen and Scandinavian Design stores in Natick.
Joyce and Allison enjoyed dancing and rarely missed an opportunity to hit a dance floor. A floor was not really necessary though, as evidenced by their traveling to and dancing at outdoor summer concerts for years. It was at these venues they became known as “The Dancers.” The couple also traveled extensively, including two trips to the Holy Land. Joyce and Allison, a veteran of the D-Day landings, traveled to Normandy on seven different occasions to mark anniversaries of the invasion and attended special services at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-Sur-Mer.
She is survived by Allison; their three children, Michael W. Blaney of Natick, Eric Blaney and his wife Ruth of Natick, and Belinda Blaney and her husband John Lea of Millville; five grandchildren, Christina, Shannon, Sarah, Kristoffer, and Emeritt: one great grandson, Logan; and a brother, Richard Pinkham of Steuben, ME.
Her Funeral Service will be held in the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street at Natick Common, on Wednesday, Nov. 5that 10:30AM. Relatives and friends may visit with the Blaney Family beginning at 9:00AM. Committal Services will follow at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joyce’s memory to an Alzheimer’s fund or Hospice of Western and Central Massachusetts, 144 Turnpike Road, #220, Southborough, MA 01772.