Joyce Evans

Evans, Joyce Hannah

Age 84, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully at Symphony of Centerville on May 26th. Those left who will especially miss her include her husband of 60 years Jim Evans, daughters Laurie Evans and Kate Barrett (Robert), brother James Williams (Anne), brother-in-law Donald Evans (Nancy), daughter-in-law Melissa Gray, former daughter-in-law Laura Michel (Chris Damron), and grandchildren Melanie Bellemen (AJ Schwab), Alyssa Evans (Robert Milton), Alex Gray, Rebecca Evans, Jacob Woeste, Kyle Woeste, Eryn Barrett and Ruary Barrett. A first great granddaughter in on the way, via Alyssa Evans (Robert Milton). Also missing her are her nephew James Williams (Edie) and nephew's wife Erika Williams.

Those welcoming her to her heavenly home include her parents, Lawrence and Grace Williams, her nephew Peter Michael Williams, and her son James Andrew (Andy) Evans who died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 55.

Joyce and her husband Jim resided in Centerville and Springboro for almost all of their sixty years of marriage and most recently resided in an independent-living apartment at Bethany Village in Centerville. She was a graduate of Rocky River High School, and attended Alleghany College, the University of Edinburgh, and Kent State University, where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in education. Later, Joyce attended the University of Dayton to take some accounting classes.

Joyce had worked as a fourth-grade teacher in the Lakewood, Ohio, School District, a private tutor for children with dyslexia, a teacher at Centerville High School with students with learning disabilities, and a preschool teacher at both Oak Creek United Church of Christ and Epiphany Lutheran Church. She especially enjoyed her work as an income tax preparer for H & R Block and Popoff Financial Services.

Joyce had many hobbies and talents including genealogy, gardening, needlework, reading, playing bridge, sudoku, Bible study, and cooking for large family gatherings. Joyce said she always wished she had a sister, so the invitation to join a PEO chapter was the perfect way to acquire sisters. Joyce loved red wine, and gin and tonic happy hours at the condo pool.

Joyce and Jim traveled widely. They made many visits to her parents' home on Gwynn's Island in the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and enjoyed visits to the homes of their respective siblings. They enjoyed driving vacations to most of the 50 states including the canyons of Utah and Arizona, hot-air balloon launching in Albuquerque, the California coast, and the Canadian Rockies, and several trips to Nova Scotia. They loved their vacations in all-inclusive resorts on Mexico's Gulf coast, and large-ship cruising the Eastern Caribbean, the Panama Canal, the Baltic States, Alaska, Hawaii, and the St. Lawrence. Especially enjoyable were the riverboat cruises on the rivers of Germany and the Balkans, renting a home and driving the roadways of Tuscany, and an extended bus tour of Spain.

Joyce especially loved her church, Epiphany Lutheran Church in Centerville, and the fellowship and service opportunities available there, including her Christ Care group, serving meals, and volunteering at the Family Promise Homeless Shelter in Xenia and the Storybook project where volunteers visit Dayton area prisons and facilitate prisoners reading books to their children.

Joyce was very well served during her final year of life by the staff of Symphony at Centerville, her final months by her aides from Touching Hearts at Home and her final days by Hospice of Dayton.

Joyce's memorial service will be held at Epiphany Lutheran Church, 6430 Far Hills Avenue in Centerville, at 10:30 AM on Saturday, June 29th, followed by a noon meal. Visitation hours will be available at the church. on Friday evening, June 28th, from 6:30 to 9:00 PM, and on Saturday morning from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. Remembrances may be expressed through donations to the Alzheimer's Association. Condolences may be sent to www.tobiasfuneralhome.com.