JOY DIESTELKAMP

Joy Diestelkamp passed away on Wednesday, May 18, 2011, succumbing to cancer after battling it successfully for over 30 years. Joy was born at home in Houston, Missouri, the eldest of three children of Lucile and Amos Azelia Davis. She grew up in the country in a time when life was simpler, dogs ate table scraps or nothing at all, and every day was a new adventure. As a teenager, she attended Licking High School and eventually worked as a civilian in the post office on the U.S. Army base at Fort Leonard Wood, where she met Donald Alvin Diestelkamp. They were married in Missouri in1952 and, following Don's discharge from the Army, made their way west to Fresno on the recommendation of his uncle and aunt, Ken and Jean Gardner; Fresno being a nice, "little" town of barely 100,000 people. Joy was hired by Security Pacific Bank and she would work for them for the next 35 years, retiring as a Bank of America employee. Along the way she made many dear friends and accomplished great things for professional women. In 1963 she was elected the first woman president of the western region of the American Institute of Banking. She was also a member of the Charter Chapter of the American Business Women's Association and held the post of president multiple times. She later joined Daughters of the Nile and Daughters of the American Revolution after discovering that she had the familial ties that qualified her for those memberships. As a retiree, she was a member of the Bank of America Retiree Network also holding the position of president for that organization many times. She looked forward to the quarterly luncheons and the bus trips to the theater in San Francisco with her many dear colleagues. Joy and Don were involved in the early years of the Fresno Dixieland Association and traveled in their motor home to many performances and conventions, enjoying the music and new friends. Having an athletic daughter, Dawn, they both attended Fresno State women's athletic events, especially basketball. Joy looked forward to basketball season at the SaveMart Center every year and she and Dawn continued to go year after year. Joy really loved live theater and passed that legacy on to her daughter. There were not many plays that made a stop in Fresno without the two of them attending, beginning in 1968 with "Fiddler On the Roof" at the then named Convention Center Theater on through "Spamalot" this past season at the Saroyan. Above all, Joy was a kind and caring friend, a thoughtful, loving, and inspiring mother, and a wonderful human being who is greatly missed. She is preceded in death by her husband, Don Diestelkamp; her brother, Charles Davis; and her parents previously mentioned. She is survived by her daughter, Dawn Diestelkamp of Fresno; her aunt, Jean Gardner of Fresno; her brother, Hoyt Davis of Moreland, Georgia; many nieces and nephews, and friends; and, of course, her dogs, Sophie and Sadie. There will be a Celebration of Life Service held at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1343 East Barstow Avenue in Fresno Saturday, July 16, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of the donor's choice. STEPHENS & BEAN CHAPEL 202 North Teilman Avenue Fresno, California (559)268-9292 www.stephensandbean.com