Martin, who published the San Juan Record for more than a dozen years in the 1980s and 1990s, passed away on March 13 at the age of 82.
A gathering of remembrance for friends and family will take place at the stake center from 9:30 to 11 a.m. the morning of the funeral.
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Joyce Martin passed away on March 13. Her morning started just like most of the previous 30,000 days of her 82-year life… she was ready to go.
Joyce went for her morning workout, said that she felt a little dizzy, and was gone in a moment.
Just like that, her life was gone, but her legacy will live on. Joyce leaves behind a growing family of children and grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She leaves behind a host of good friends and wonderful memories, and a legacy of production and hard work. Joyce was an advocate for the arts and education. She had a sharp wit and a perceptive eye.
Joyce and her sister, Ingrid Adams, owned the San Juan Record in the 1980s and 1990s. The weekly newspaper for San Juan County developed a unique presence during the dozen years she served as the publisher and Editor.
The paper was carefully edited and lovingly crafted to have a recognizable look and feel. With a simple flag on the front page, artful ads and tightly-edited stories, Joyce and Ingrid were able to fit a lot of news into the small tabloid format.
She was careful to be fair and balanced and to accurately report the news. She had to deal with a number of painful and divisive issues, and always seemed to find that fine line between opposing viewpoints.
I learned much from Joyce during the six months that I sat at her feet and learned the newspaper business.
She was a formidable Editor. And it was from Joyce’s editing that I learned much about her.
Joyce always looked for a way to say something in just a few words. This is a necessary skill in order to edit a newspaper with a small news hole.
Joyce hated fluff. One of her pet peeves was copy that read, “I would like to stand here and take the opportunity to thank….”
Joyce would say, “Don’t just ‘stand there’ and don’t ‘take the opportunity,’ just say it and get on.” As an Editor, she was blunt, precise, to the point and remarkably spot-on.
“I hate passive verbs,” she would say. “Always look for active verbs.” There was nothing passive about Joyce. She loved a good and simple verb and her life reflected it.
Joyce didn’t just walk away when I bought the business. She continued to offer well-timed advice through warm, handwritten notes. We will all miss her.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 24 at 11:30 a.m. at the Monticello LDS Stake Center, 179 South Main. A gathering of remembrance for friends and family will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. that morning.
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