THE life of a leading educational figure, whose caring yet humorous approach endeared him to everyone, is to be commemorated at a special service.

Mr Thomas Joyce of Haydock, who died earlier this year, aged 62, will be remembered at a Memorial Mass to be held at Carmel College, Prescot Road, tomorrow (Friday) at 7pm.

He was appointed vice-principal at the proposed college in 1987 and played a major part in its creation and success. As an outstanding teacher of economics, he will be remembered by countless students as a man of dry wit who never took himself too seriously.

An old boy of West Park Grammar School and a graduate of St Andrew's University, Mr Joyce was also a former deputy head of Notre Dame High School where, as one of two men on the staff, he joked that he was appointed to the all-girls school to ensure there was no shortage of altar boys at Mass!

Said Carmel College spokesman, Jim Fogarty: "Tom was much loved by staff and students alike, both for his deadpan expression and the sense of fun he brought to the classroom and staff room.

"The Christian way in which the college has developed is due in great measure to the influence of Tom Joyce, and I feel sure that his many friends, colleagues and former students will attend the Memorial Mass."

Mr Joyce is survived by his wife Sue and sons Martin and Michael.

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