Joyce Metzger North, beloved of her family, died peacefully on March 25, 2019 at Yale New Haven Hospital, surrounded by her family. The cause was congestive heart failure.  She was 80. Known as "Marmee" to her two grandsons and to the community, Joyce is remembered for her cheerful spirit and devotion to her family, especially her two daughters and grandsons.

Born on April 1, 1938 at Saint Joseph's Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, Joyce Audrey Metzger was the oldest daughter of Mirvin Henry Metzger and Mildred Meyer Metzger.  The family of six lived in Parkville, Maryland and Joyce graduated from Parkville High School in 1956.

Joyce married John Richard "Dick" North in 1958.  She worked for the Dean of the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins Hospital, while Dick finished college at Johns Hopkins University.  They built their first home in Phoenix, Maryland in 1966, and had their two daughters while living there.  The family moved to Connecticut in 1971, where they fostered a lifelong love of all things New England, including spending summers on Cape Cod and tapping maple trees to make maple syrup. Joyce focused on raising her girls, volunteering in the local elementary schools, and baking award-winning bread. In 1975, the family moved back to Maryland, where she perfected her bread baking, winning the blue ribbon at the Maryland State Fair.  Joyce later combined a love of auctions and antiques with her entrepreneurial spirit to open an antique shop in Hereford, Maryland.  She also had a miniatures and doll shop at Harborplace in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Joyce enjoyed travel and adventures, and would get in her car to drive anywhere.  Her love of travel and New England led the family to Midcoast Maine, which became their summer vacation home for years.  Eventually, she and Dick purchased an old farmhouse in Nobleboro, Maine that they renovated and Joyce ran as a bed and breakfast called Oliver Farm Inn , which she filled with antiques and quilts to go with her special touch of cheery hospitality.  Joyce later made the area her permanent home, moving to Bristol, Maine in 1995, after she and Dick divorced. She lived there until November 2014, when she returned to Connecticut to be closer to family, especially her adored grandsons.  Most recently, she was a resident of Prospect Ridge, in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Joyce loved all animals, especially dogs, and had a collection of fabulous pups, including Pokey, Jill, Blackie, Lady, Puggy, Max, and Katie.  She also had a flair for throwing legendary parties and holiday events, tapping her creativity and passions for cooking, baking, sewing and crafts. She celebrated every birthday and every holiday with homemade baked goods, special meals, decorations, costumes, and her unending enthusiasm.

She is survived by her daughter, Karis L. North of Hull, MA; her daughter and son-in-law, Martha North Gaudio and Christopher Gaudio, of Redding, CT; her grandsons Jason North Gaudio and Ian Russell Gaudio of Redding, CT; her siblings and their spouses, Karis Metzger Levitt and Michael Levitt of Owings Mills, MD, Mirvin Henry Metzger and Ellen Metzger of Manchester, MD, and Richard Paul Metzger and Janet Metzger of Parkville, MD; her brother-in-law and spouse Robert Clyde North and Sharon North of Centreville, MD; and three nieces, one nephew and their eight children. Joyce was predeceased by her former husband John Richard North.

A celebration of Joyce's life will be held at noon on Saturday April 6, 2019, at Christ Church, Redding, Connecticut (184 Cross Highway), where she was a member. Interment will be private.  There will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to either: ROAR - Ridgefield Animal Rescue http://roar-ridgefield.org/donate 45 South Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877 or Christ Church Episcopal, Mission Committee http://www.christchurchredding.org/home-1# P.O. Box 54, Redding Ridge, CT 06876.