Mimi Joyce
My grandmother Marie Elizabeth Ramseyer was born on August 23, 1916, in Boston, Massachusetts to Edward Charles Ramseyer and Emma (Pelletier) Ramseyer. She married Stephen Michael Joyce on November 27, 1941 and they had five children during their marriage of 49 years. Marie (Mimi) died on August 27, 1997 at the age of 81 and my grandfather (Papa) passed away on December 29, 1990 at the age of 79.
My grandmother lived at 1029 South Street in Roslindale nearly her entire life, except for a short time when she was a baby. The area was known as "Doctor's Row" and when I was a child, my primary care physician was just across the street from their home.
For a short time, her father Edward Ramseyer owned a flower farm in Halifax, MA. Gladiola flowers were the primary flowers grown at the farm and were sold at the Boston Flower Exchange. The Country Club of Halifax is now on the farmland he once owned. Beginning in 1898, the Ramseyer family also had various plots of land in Halifax—some cottages that remained in the family through generations. My grandmother spent most of her summers in Halifax (see article below). Her father was also a wool merchant, owning E.C. Ramseyer & Co., Wool. The business was first located at 263 Summer street in Boston and later moved to a larger space at 296 Summer street (Current day Fort Point District).
Marie attended Longfellow School, Washington Irving School (Class of 1931); both in Roslindale, and Roxbury Memorial High School for Girls (1931-1935) in Roxbury. Note that at the time, Washington Irving was located on Poplar Street, which later became Roslindale High School. She also attended Katharine Gibbs School in Boston, graduating in 1937.
In 1934, my grandmother lost her mother Emma, who spent years bedridden due to spinal tuberculosis. She was only 17 years old at the time of her mother's death. She also had a brother who died as an infant about a year before Marie was born—both losses that I think greatly affected her life.
Below are some of my grandmother's school photos from class portraits.
She worked as a secretary at the United Fruit Company (now Chiquita Brands International) for a number of years. She stopped working after she got married to my grandfather, who also was employed by the United Fruit Company in Boston. I have fond memories of my grandmother telling us grandchildren stories of her travels on the "Great White Fleet," especially one story of tarantulas hiding within the bananas!
My grandmother's children gifted her nine grandchildren, whom she adored and spoiled. There are a few memories that stick out: my grandmother loved taking family photos and would purchase doubles or triple sets of photos so we could all choose what photos we wanted to keep. She had us grandkids write down our favorite foods and those we disliked so she knew what to cook for us when visiting. She loved animals, especially spoiling Jeannie, the neighborhood dog in Halifax (best dog ever). When she baked a cake, it was always placed on a cake stand with a glass dome. My grandmother also saved everything and wrote names on back of photographs—she is the reason I am interested in family history. She brought her family together by having everyone visit in Halifax—I attribute the cottages as the reason I’m still so close to my cousins today. I describe my grandmother as a "fairy tale grandmother" because she truly made our childhood magical. One quote that I think sums up Mimi pretty well is "Grandmothers are moms with lots of frosting."
