(1926 2016) Joyce Mildred Dana, cherished wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on October 28, 2016, at the age of 90. Joyce was born on July 27, 1926, to Harry and Ida Conklin, in the tiny rural town of Haxby, Montana, and moved to Sacramento with her family in 1937. She studied ballet and dance as a child, and after graduating from Grant Union High School in 1945, she became one of the original members of the Sacramento Ballet Company. While raising a family, and for decades following, she ran her own dance school, teaching ballet, tap, jazz, and eventually yoga and aerobic exercise. Joyce enjoyed reading, snow skiing, politics, visiting the California coast and her home state of Montana, and dabbling in architecture and home decorating. She built her Carmichael home in 1969, where she lived for the last 47 years. Joyce's favorite pastime, however, involved family gatherings, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and close friends. Joyce is survived by her husband, William C. Dana; four children, Dennis (Tona) Baer, Douglas (Gail) Baer, Rodney (Susan) Baer, and Lorna (Daniel) Banks; and six grandsons, Ryan Baer; Nathan, Kevin, and Trevor Baer; and Daniel, Jr., and Sean Banks. Joyce's son, Lawrence Baer, and sister, Mabel Paquin, predeceased her. A memorial service will be held Sunday, December 11, 2016, 11AM, at the Sierra View Funeral Chapel in Carmichael. In lieu of flowers, donations in Joyce's name can be made to a charity of the donor's choosing.
Guestbook