MENANDS - Evelyn Joyce (Carey) O'Brien passed peacefully from this life on Saturday, November 16, 2019 surrounded by her loving family. Joyce, affectionately known as Nanny, was 88 years young. Joyce was born in Albany on March 8, 1931, the daughter of the late William E. and Evelyn (Halpin) Carey. She grew up in a very Irish household in Albany’s North End and received her primary education at School #20. She was a member of the graduating class of 1949 at Vincentian Institute and furthered her education at the University of New Hampshire. Joyce resided in Menands for the past 65 years and dedicated her life to her husband, eight children, seventeen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A proud matriarch of a large and loving family, Nanny also found time to devote to civic, religious and charitable causes. In 1964, she was a founding member of the Menands St. Patrick’s Club, serving as Honorary Marshal in 2000, and was also a member of the Albany St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. She was a member of the Menands Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary and Menands Senior Citizens and past member of the Menands School PTA and the St. Joan of Arc Rosary Society, for which she served as vice chairman. She was the beloved wife of the late James Blaney O'Brien (1989) to whom she was married on July 19, 1952. She was predeceased by her sister and brother-in-law, Sheila and John McGarrahan. Surviving are her children James Carey O'Brien, Elizabeth (Paul) Harbour, Timothy (Margie) O'Brien, Mary Megan (James) Grenier, Maureen (Shane) Somerville, Terence O'Brien, Patrick (Kerri) O'Brien and Shelagh (Thomas) Nugent; her cherished grandchildren Michael, Brien and Molly Harbour, Timothy and Brendan O'Brien, Kaileen Dixon, Jimmy, Melissa and Michele Grenier, Jacquelyn Sgambelluri, Todd and Scotty Somerville, Colleen Miller, Laura and Haley O'Brien, Maeve and Liam Nugent; her adoring great-grandchildren Jameson and Brynn Dixon and Kendyl, Landon and Evelyn Harbour; her cousin Patricia Rodd; sister-in-laws Joan Cookfair and Marlene O’Brien; and her many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews in the McGarrahan and O’Brien families. She was the loving godmother to Colleen Miller, Ellen McGarrahan and Mark Cookfair. A funeral Mass will be celebrated for Joyce by Father Dennis Tamburello, OFM on the 20th day of November at 12:00 pm in Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 33 Walter Street, North Albany. The Rite of Committal and interment will follow in St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Joyce’s family on the 20th day of November from 10:00 to 11:30 am at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church prior to the Mass. In the spirit of the Thanksgiving season and to honor Nanny’s warm and comforting nature, please consider bringing non-perishable food items to donate to the Sacred Heart Food Pantry.