Gillian Joyce's Obituary
Gillian Joyce, 84, of Land O’Lakes, FL, passed away on February 7, 2025. She was born in England, just north of London, on June 7, 1940, to Horace and Irene Trafford. She was the second of three daughters born to the couple, along with her older sister Judy and her younger sister Trisha. She lived in England until she was 25, when she moved to New York to be a nanny. While in New York, she started her own family, having a daughter of her own, Carrie, in October 1975. In 1984, the family moved to St. Petersburg, FL, to be closer to friends and have a better quality of life. After leaving her position as a nanny, Gillian worked in a variety of factories over the years. Most recently, she worked at a local scissor factory for over 20 years before her retirement. After retiring from factory work, she moved in with Carrie’s family to help provide care to Carrie’s young children.
Gillian will be remembered both as a caring, loving mother and grandmother and as a tenacious woman with plenty of sass, strong opinions, a brilliant way with words, and a terrific, while sometimes indelicate, sense of humor. She was an expert gardener, who created a beautiful garden at Carrie’s home, with roses and all sorts of other flowers, and could never be deterred from cultivating plants that were difficult to grow in Florida’s hot climate. She volunteered for many years at the botanical gardens at USF, where they affectionately called her “The Pot Lady,” as her primary job was repotting plants. She was an artist, who loved to paint and draw, and she was a member of the Red Hat Society for a short time. Her favorite pastime was having coffee and catching up with friends. She was an excellent friend, who loved a good hug and sent Christmas cards to everyone in her address book every year. More than anything else, she loved spending time with her family and supporting her grandchildren by being present at all their performances. Her family will always fondly remember the years she spent in their home and are grateful to have had that time with her.
Gillian is survived by her daughter Carrie Thomas, son-in-law Jon Thomas, granddaughters Katie and Ellie Young, and sister Patricia Goodchild. She was preceded in death by her parents Horace and Irene Trafford and her sister Judy Robbins.
A celebration of Gillian’s life will be held at Trinity Memorial Gardens in the Magnolia Reception Hall on Saturday, March 8, 2025, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.
Donations may be made in Gillian's memory to the following organizations, which she held close to her heart:
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: www.aspca.org/ways-to-give
The University of South Florida Botanical Gardens: https://www.usf.edu/arts-sciences/ecore/where-we-are/botanical-gardens/support-the-gardens.aspx#gifts
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