Joy Nadine Bohning

Joy Nadine Bohning, 74, of Albuquerque, went home to God on August 16th after two years of fighting the effects of an ovarian malignancy. Miss Joy, a third-generation music educator, was born in 1952 to Nadine and Paul Bohning in the Swedish community of Lindsborg, KS and grew up in Clearwater, KS. After graduatng from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Miss Joy worked as a choir director at a small Lutheran church outside of McPherson, KS, taught in the Wichita, KS area, and pursued coursework at Wichita State.

In 1980, characteristically in the spirit of adventure, Miss Joy moved to Albuquerque and worked as an assistant band director at Del Norte and Valley High Schools. Miss Joy started the mid-school band and swing choir programs when Lincoln Middle School in Rio first opened. In the early 80's she began playing in the Albuquerque Concert Band, where she eventually met her husband. She also began an adult concert band in Rio Rancho, was choir director at Harwood Methodist, and organist at Our Lady of the Assumption.

In 1991 Miss Joy moved with her husband to Alexandria, VA when her husband was transferred from Kirtland to the DC area. There, Miss Joy gave birth to her daughter and worked as choir director at Epiphany Lutheran, in Mt Vernon, VA, and taught elementary music at a local independent school. While there, Miss Joy played in the Alexandria Citizens Band and in the National Concert Band of America, where she met some very senior musicians who had known her father in the Navy School of Music, in the early 40's.

Upon a subsequent transfer to Tullahoma, TN, Miss Joy spent time raising her daughter and played in the Middle Tennessee Winds and the Huntsville Concert Band. Miss Joy returned to Albuquerque with her husband in 1999. She raised her daughter and ran after-hours band programs at Comanche, Double Eagle, and Northstar elementary schools and resumed playing in the Albuquerque Concert Band and provided special music at an assortment of churches. She organized and directed the Women's Wind Ensemble of Albuquerque through several performances.

Miss Joy was predeceased by her parents, her sister (Ann), and her two brothers (Paul and Scott ). She is survived by her husband (Jed Rowley), her daughter (Linnea and husband Matt), her nephews (Whitney, Ryan, Tyler, Paul) and niece (Tiffany).

Miss Joy's family expresses deep gra tude for the outpouring of support from friends, colleagues, and community.Miss Joy's family would like in particular to thank Dr. Padilla Paz at Women's Cancer and Surgical Care and his staff for two years of kind, attentive, and effective treatment, the broad team of specialists and caregivers at Presbyterian - Cedar for doing everything possible to treat Miss Joy's recent, complex, and cascading health issues, and the gentle, compassionate palliative staff at the Hospice Inpatient Unit at Anna Kaseman.

Although Miss Joy passionately loved flowers and gardening, and in keeping with Miss Joy's life focus on music and impactful music education, the family suggests in lieu of flowers that contributions be made in her memory to the Bruce Kroken Memorial Scholarship fund of the Albuquerque Concert Band, or to the Albuquerque Youth Symphony program, in order to support and sustain the development of future musicians, and to keep the flame of music alive.