Joyce Ann (Fitch) Palazzolo

Joyce Ann Palazzolo (nee Fitch) left this world on August 25, 2024.  Joyce was born June 24, 1933, in Paris, Tennessee to Maggie and Luther Fitch.  She was the 11th and last child born to Maggie and Luther.  Her sisters Violet, Ruth, Anabelle, Thelma, Nellie, Polly, Judy and Florence, and her brothers George and Charlie preceded her in death. For 47 years she was the loving wife of Salvatore (Sam) Palazzolo of St. Louis who also precedes her in death.

Joyce was a homemaker who eschewed home economics and cooking, because there were more fun things to do besides cleaning and cooking.  She loved shopping, long rides, Tom Jones (the singer), visiting family, and especially Fitch family reunions playing the card game “Fitch Pitch” into the wee hours of the morning. She loved an occasional Amaretto shot.  She was raised Baptist but converted to Catholicism to marry; she would describe herself as a serious Catholic who preferred sleeping-in on Sundays. She rarely met her mother in-law’s approval, but Joyce, being a strong woman persevered outliving all her in-laws. (Good job mom.)  Joyce worked several part-time jobs, from dental office receptionist to salesclerk at JC Penneys.  She volunteered at her local public school to record stories used to help students’ reading skills.  She wasn’t a partisan or political though she believed in her country and the good it could do.  She was always warm and often conversed with total strangers standing in line at a check-out.  She loved Steak-n-Shake hamburgers, and she wore it well.  Joyce was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandma.

She will be missed by her surviving daughter, Liz Palazzolo, (husband Dave Raithel); her son Greg Palazzolo; her grandsons Dylan Raithel (wife Anne Simms) and Mason Raithel-Owens (wife Niall Raithel-Owens); her great-grandchildren Lilly, Colwyn, Hazel, and Llewelyn; her nieces Patricia, Charlotte, Barbara and Tammy and dear friend Judy Bonifanti. Our circle is broken but Heaven has gained a good soul. We thank Cynergy Health, Boone Hospital, Compassus Hospice, and the Bluffs for the care and kindness shown to her.

A Funeral Service will be at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, September 3, 2024, at Bach-Yager Funeral Chapel.  The family will receive friends Monday, September 2, 2024, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.  Interment will follow the service on Tuesday at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. 

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Bluffs Foundation, 3105 Bluff Creek Dr. Columbia MO 65201

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