Friday, July 6, 2001
Harold Joyce, a fixture on local baseball and softball diamonds for over half a century, passed away June 22. The joy of the diamond
More obituariesBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comHe was 77.
Services were scheduled for today: a visitation at Borthwick Mortuary at 8:30 a.m., followed by services at 11 a.m. and burial at Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery at 1 p.m.
Joyce was a longtime baseball coach at Kaimuki High School. In his later years, he played and coached makule softball and did a lot of umpiring.
"He was a friend and he really knew his baseball," said current Bulldogs coach Clyde Hayashida, who played for Joyce at Kaimuki. "He was a strict guy, but he loved the game."
Joyce was named Most Valuable Player of the 1990 Las Vegas 60-and-over Invitational softball tournament, playing for Smitty's Hawaiians.
"In 1988, he formed the Monday Seniors program that gave (playing time to) Makua Alii Softball league players who almost always never started nor played enough innings during seasonal competition," said local senior softball historian Benny Villaverde.
"He was a familiar personality behind the plate, umpiring countless games. He will sorely be missed by all within the state softball scene who knew him," Villaverde said.
Joyce is survived by sons Harold D. and Darryl, daughter Nellie Okamoto, three grandchildren and numerous nephews and nieces.
The younger Harold Joyce was the first Hawaii-born baseball player to be drafted to play pro ball. The 15th-round pick signed with the Cleveland Indians in 1965.