My family and I are raising money in memory of our mother, wife, Gigi, sister, aunt, and friend, Joyce Ruth Bartels, who passed away on August 19, 2026, after a courageous battle with a rare appendiceal cancer.

Our family spent the last several months caring for Mom through the final chapter of her life. Her final days were spent at Transitions LifeCare in Raleigh, surrounded by family and cared for with extraordinary compassion.

Joyce was a giver. She was an incredible listener, remembered the little things people needed, and loved giving gifts—big or small—just to let someone know she was thinking of them. Giving was truly one of her love languages, which is why we can't think of a more fitting way to honor her than by giving something back in her name.

This was our family's first experience with hospice and with making the incredibly difficult decision to choose this final journey for someone we loved so much. We quickly learned just how much the place itself matters.

The people, the grounds, the warmth, and the quiet spaces all become part of your final memories together. There is so much emotion and so much silence—along with storytelling, laughter, tears, contemplation, and simply sitting beside someone you love as you prepare to say goodbye.

When there is so little you can control, having a place that feels peaceful, warm, and human matters more than we ever could have understood before experiencing it ourselves.

And knowing Joyce, if she were here, she'd probably be looking around and saying, “We should do something here. We should help make this even better for the next family. They also need brownies.”

So that's what we hope to do.

All funds raised will be donated to Transitions LifeCare in Joyce's memory, with the hope of creating or enhancing a peaceful space for patients and families experiencing hospice, loss, and grief—a place to sit, gather, reflect, breathe, or simply feel a little less alone.

The exact memorial will be developed in coordination with Transitions and will depend on the amount raised. Our larger hope is to contribute toward a gathering or amphitheater-style healing space, while other possibilities may include dedicated seating, commemorative elements, or another lasting tribute to Joyce that brings comfort to the families who come after ours.

Whether you knew and loved Joyce personally, know someone in our family, or simply understand what it means to walk alongside someone you love at the end of their life, we would be incredibly grateful for your support. Every contribution matters, and if donating isn't possible, sharing this fundraiser means just as much.

Places like this need to be loved, too. It’s something our family never fully understood until we found ourselves needing a place like this.

We hope to take some of the love Joyce spent a lifetime giving to others and put a little of it back into the world in her name—in a place where another family may someday really need it.

Thank you for helping us do that. ❤️