Joye Swinderman Obituary

(1992-2024)

Joye Swinderman, 31, of Durango, Colorado, "Grandpa's little princess" joined her grandpa and grandma on January 31, 2024.

Joye was born in Reno, Nevada, but spent nearly her entire life in Durango, beginning with kindergarten at Riverview Elementary, where our happy little Joye, who absolutely loved going to school, showed up one day early, twirling in excitement.

Joye really enjoyed playing volleyball, the violin, and proudly played with her high school orchestra at Barnes & Noble in Arlington, Virginia. She was teaching herself to play the ukelele, and was a lifelong learner of German and Spanish. She was very proud when she received her GED with a record-high score for the region, and after completion of her culinary program. Joye loved kitties, especially her first two kittens she had as an adult. She was a gifted artist, her drawings so gentle and beautiful, and scary movies and stories were a lot of fun for her.

She will always be remembered for how loving she was, cheering people on while concealing her own sorrow, sometimes in silly ways, like suddenly appearing from the hallway doing a soft-shoe dance with her daughter ("Shuffle Off to Buffalo") or sharing her favorite videos.

She loved her two children fiercely, and that is often what kept her going. She called them Jimmy and Squib and it would always give them a happy feeling "even if it would sometimes get a little repetitive". She cared deeply about her family and friends and now we are left behind to live without our dear Joye-Joye.

Joye deserved the same love she bestowed upon others, in a life that was cut short way too soon. She fought for sobriety and wanted to meet everyone's expectations, including her own, striving until the end to do all these things. We'll always imagine hearing her laugh (heh heh) and seeing her dance one more time. Losing her has left a gaping hole in all our lives and we will continue to miss Joye every day. Her memory will live on in the hearts of all those who loved her.

Joye is preceded in death by her grandparents, Francis and Myra Swinderman, and is survived by her mother, Gail Swinderman; her children, James and June; her siblings, Jennelle Swinderman (Alex), Jon Swinderman (Tiffany), Kevin Swinderman, and Susan Alaniz (Ira); her nieces who adored her, Kira and Karina; her Uncle Hoyt (Sandy); her Auntie Mushy who stayed in contact with her over the years, and her father Franco, along with many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Memorial services will be held at a later date.