Joyce Hlava-Ogden (McCracken) passed peacefully in her sleep at home in Saratoga on September 15 ^th , 2022, from lung cancer at the age of 78.

She was born in Michigan on November 28 ^th , 1943 to Francis and Mabel McCracken. Joyce graduated from Seaholm High School in Birmingham before matriculating at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she was a proud member of the Alpha Delta Phi sorority. She graduated with a degree in political science and a minor in English.

After college she moved to Chicago and worked for the Social Security Administration and IRS. She met her first husband, Richard Hlava, after he first dated her roommate. They married in 1968 and subsequently moved to Germany for Rich's work. She enjoyed living in Europe and spent weekends traveling to other countries. They started their family with son Jeff's birth in Germany before moving back to the US. They eventually landed in Dallas, where they expanded their family with the birth of daughter Nicole. In 1976, the family moved to Saratoga.

When the children were young, Joyce was a stay-at-home mother. She loved the California lifestyle and remarked that they could be in Tahoe one day and at the beach in Santa Cruz the next. Through her children and the PTA, she made a close-knit group of friends who spent vacations and holidays together, affectionately known as "the old neighborhood." She played tennis, was a great cook, and enjoyed entertaining.

Joyce was involved in many civic activities, including multiple Santa Clara County commissions, school PTAs, and the Saratoga Citizens Advisory Committee. For years she volunteered for the League of Women Voters and Saratoga Book-Go-Round, was involved with the American Association of University Women, and later with the Saratoga Foothill Club. She participated in the Coro Foundation's "Leadership Training" program which led to her interest in city politics. She served on the Saratoga Planning Commission three separate times and served one term as a Saratoga City Council Member, including one year as mayor. She was the primary negotiator with the state for the highway 85 construction agreement. Joyce was also instrumental in getting the vehicle turn around at the end of Big Basin completed.

Along with her civic activities, Joyce worked twice at RJE, an early credit prompting hardware and software company started by Rich. Prior to their divorce in 1991, Joyce had left RJE for Browning-Ferris Industries. She worked at the waste management giant for 5 years. She went back to RJE, as President and COO, as use of the "world wide web" was exploding and the company had pivoted to online bank hosting. She continued in online banking when she later went to Cardinal Services at Stanford.

She met Raymond James (Jim) Ogden in 1991 and they enjoyed many years as partners before marrying in 2000. With Jim, Joyce traveled often, played lots of cribbage, and started playing golf, which she continued until she was physically unable. They laughed often, frequently accompanied by a good wine. Joyce was a strong advocate for Jim after he developed ALS and cared for him till the end.

Joyce was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2016, despite not smoking for 40 years. She was unable to beat the cancer, but modern medicines kept her alive longer than she expected. She used to say that these years were a bonus and that she had lived a long, happy, and satisfying life.

She is survived by her son Jeff Hlava (Kate), grandchildren Jack, Quinn, C.J. and Kylie Hlava; daughter Nicole Hlava; brother Frank McCracken (Joann); stepson Kyle Ogden (Mia) and grandchildren Sophia and Bo Ogden; and her "German daughter" Janine Blasi (Jay) and grandson Bennett; and was predeceased by her husband Jim Ogden.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Golden West Chapter of the ALS Association ( http://webgw.alsa.org ) or the Saratoga Foothill Club ( http://saratogafoothillclub.org/2020/01/22/donate/ ). A celebration of life will be held on October 23 ^rd at 4 pm at the Saratoga Foothill Club.