MMC04242020 - Page 20

Joe Joyce with his wife, Jane. Kevin Joyce sales and antique shops across the country, his son said. “It’s a tale of my father’s journey in life and his collecting,” Kevin said. “The bar is a living testament.” Three years after opening JJ Bubbles, Joyce quit drinking for good, spending the better part of the following 39 years operating a watering hole he never drank from. Employees remembered Joyce for his generosity, and for creating a safe haven for patrons. “He was more than just a boss, he was family to many of us,” said Ross Procaccio, who has worked at JJ Bubbles for six years. But, “Being a 40 year-plus bar owner is such a small part of what Joe contributed to the neighborhood,” the bartender said. “If you ever needed help with anything, he was always �� COURIER L 20 IFE, APRIL 24-30, 2020 there for you. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone.” Joyce was heavily involved in community events, including — but not limited to — the local competitive darts scene, the Brooklyn Shamrocks Gaelic Football Club and the Special Olympics Polar Plunge on Staten Island. “Anybody who needed anything, he would have fundraisers for them,” his wife, Jane Joyce said. Right now, the fate of JJ Bubbles remains up in the air while the family deals with more pressing matters. However, the Joyces say they plan on having a service for their patriarch at St. Anselm’s Church, and a subsequent celebration of his life once it is safe to do so. “This is a truly devastating loss to the community as a whole,” Procaccio said. “He’ll be greatly missed by so many.” Additional reporting by Meaghan McGoldrick JJ BUBBLES Continued from page 1 rushed him to a nearby hospital. Bass’ condition initially worsened and he was placed on a ventilator, Gets said. But after two weeks, his symptoms appeared to improve. “He didn’t have a fever for three or four days,” Gets said. “Then it was rapid decline.” Bass died shortly after. He didn’t have any pre-existing conditions, his friends said. Bass is one of more than 9,000 healthcare workers around the country who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, and one of the hundreds who has died from the virus. While no one knows exactly how Bass contracted the virus, coworkers assume he caught it from a patient at Coney Island Hospital — and suspect that the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) at the facility could have played a role in him contracting the highly-contagious respitory illness. “My assumption is that it was directly related to bad PPE policy,” said one coworker who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “If you come into the ER, it’s in the air.” Bass is survived by his wife of 20 years, his 19-year-old daughter, and his 17-year-old son — none of whom were allowed to visit him after his admission to the hospital. Bass’ loved ones remember him as a reliable confidant who brought warmth to his friends’ and family’s lives. “He had this amazing, open, cheerful personality,” said Alex Beylinson, Bass’ close friend who sent him to the hospital. “He was always laughing and smiling and had a million jokes to tell … Everyone loved him.“ Gets noted Bass’ extraordinarily generous spirit, and recalled a time the physician assistant went out of his way to look after and care for Gets’ sick relative. “My wife’s uncle who lives in New Jersey, he was visiting someone in Brooklyn. He was unconscious and he was sent to Staten Island Hospital,” he said. “I called Alex, and he came in his free time.” Multiple online fundraisers have been set up to raise money for Bass’ family after his death. Within hours, they had raised tens of thousands of dollars, Beylinson said. “In one day they collected $50,000,” he said. “There were hundred and hundreds of people that knew him, and that speaks volumes.” All three fundraisers have raised more than $74,000 dollars as of April 20. NURSE Continued from page 1 ��