Obituary of Joyce Mary Ann Hagel

It is with heavy hearts and fond memories that we announce the passing of our beloved Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother, Joyce Hagel who passed away with husband Art Borle by her side on Wednesday April 1, 2020.

Joyce was raised on a farm near Keoma, Alberta where they grew crops and livestock. She was involved in slaughtering the chickens and this is where she acquired her dislike of eating chickens and eggs. 

She went to school in Kathryn, Alberta and after graduation attended secretarial school in Calgary. She learned to play piano and reached the top level through the Alberta Conservatory of Music. She was an amazing pianist who taught piano lessons from her home. She brought joy to her family and her community playing organ in the church in every community she lived in.

After marrying her first husband Lawrence Hagel, they settled in Beiseker, Alberta where they raised five children. They also lived in Calgary where Lawrence ran a New Holland dealership with two of his brothers. She worked at various secretarial and clerical positions before she and Lawrence bought and ran the Wildhorse Campground at Fort Steele near Cranbrook, B.C., from 1976 to 1986. They then moved to Kelowna where they ran a tool store briefly and she also worked at various other clerical positions before they decided to return to Calgary where she cared for her parents until they passed.

Joyce then went back to school late in life and became a medical unit clerk. She worked in the Foothills Tom Baker Cancer Centre and the Peter Lougheed Hospital in Calgary. They then returned to Cranbrook where she worked at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital until retiring.

Joyce was an incredible mother, grandmother, great grandmother and a loving wife to Lawrence whom she was married to for 52 years. Lawrence passed away May 13, 2012. In her grief she reached out to the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society and in them found incredible comfort. She was changed by this society and decided to become a volunteer, comforting others in their grief. She was a naturally empathetic person and this work brought meaning to her life. Joyce also volunteered at the Key City Theatre and eventually became a member of the board of directors.

She married her second husband Art Borle in 2015, she was the love of his life and they were inseparable. She became a stepmother to his three sons as well as grandma to his grandkids.

Joyce is survived by her children Dale Hagel (Linda), Mary Lou Moore, Lorraine Hagel (Mark Casey), Darryl Hagel (Colleen Anderson), and Susan Hammond (Gordon), 9 grand children and 12 great grandchildren, as well as her husband Art Borle and his three sons Brian Borle (Vivian), Thomas Borle (Joanne) and Greg Borle and 7 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

Joyce was predeceased by Husband Lawrence Hagel and her brother Robert Thompson.

A service for the late Joyce Hagel will be held at Christ the Servant Parish. Due to the current restrictions it will be private. Interment will follow in the Fort Steele Cemetery. To view Joyce’s Service you may do so on the McPherson Funeral Services website www.mcphersonfuneralservices.com after July 20, 2020 on her obituary page under the memorial video tab. Video condolences to the family may be emailed in to info@mcphersonfh.com.

Memorial donations in Joyce’s memory can be made to the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society.

Arrangements entrusted to McPherson Funeral Services.

Condolences for the family can be offered at:

www.mcphersonfh.com