Joyce Neville

Passed away peacefully May 21, 2013. Born September 9, 1929 in the west Texas ranch town of Alpine, Joyce was the eldest of two daughters. Both parents and sister, Sandra Kelley, preceded her in death. Joyce was raised in Alpine, Texas through high school. She then, supported herself there through the beginning years of college, working at Tex-Harvey Oil. She was given the opportunity to relocate with the company to Colorado. With a 20 dollar bill that Joyce was given by her grandmother, she set out on her own to the foreign city of to Denver. After many years of service and searching for a new challenge, she decided she wanted to be her own boss. Joyce founded her own accounting company, which she maintained throughout a multitude of business endeavors, the pursuit of higher education, and carried it through to the date of her passing. Joyce decided to pursue a degree in business and completed a Bachelor of Science, with honors, in 1967, University of Colorado, Boulder. She continued on and received a Master of Business Administration (emphasis in Accounting) in 1968. During these years of education she became an adult curriculum developer and seminar coordinator for the U.S. Department of Labor training programs. Possessing her M.B.A., Joyce readily passed the Certified Public Accountant examination was fully certified shortly after. Proudly, Joyce earned a Doctor of Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance, Accounting, Management Science, from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1973. Throughout her educational career, she received numerous honors and fellowships. Joyce was a scholar but also became a lecturer and a professor in the areas of accounting, finance and administration during college and for many years following graduation at The University of Colorado, The University of Colorado Medical Center and Metropolitan State College. Joyce excelled in business and was appointed by the Governor as Commissioner, Colorado Hospital Commission, establishing regulation of hospitals and public utilities. She then became Vice President for Corporate Affairs, Mercy Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, responsible for financial management, legalities, governmental relations and corporate planning. Four years later, after much success, Joyce became the Manager of Department of Health and Hospitals, City and County of Denver, Colorado. This was a Mayoral appointed position (Federico Pena administration), making her responsible for the administration of City hospital, outpatient clinics, and public health department. This annual operating budget she was responsible for was $115 million and she oversaw 2, 500 employees. Joyce continued to work in her own business as an accountant throughout these years, but wanted to do more. After many years of planning and development she, along with two partners, formed The Minesen Company, building a large hotel in Hawaii. Dr. Joyce J. Neville is remembered by her family, friends and colleagues as a wonderful storyteller. Her attention to details, possession of wit and amazing memory allowed her to convey her ideas and stories unlike any other. She was passionate about education and Joyce loved to relay her life experiences to inspire others toward the pursuit of their dreams through the acquiring of knowledge. Memorial Service is on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 10:00 AM, Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 3101 South Wadsworth Boulevard, Lakewood, Colorado 80227 with a reception following. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice. Please share memories of Joyce and condolences with her family by signing the online guestbook below.