Joy Odiorne

Joy D. Odiorne VIRGINIA BEACH - Joy Dereece Odiorne, 55, passed away peacefully Sept. 17, 2008, in Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. She is survived by her husband, Francis Odiorne; their daughter Andrea Odiorne of Fairfax; Francis' brother, Clinton Odiorne of Bremerton, Wash., and his wife Kathy and their children Jeff, Kristen and Kimberly of Washington; her sister, Letitia Swader and her husband Steve of Pismo Beach, their children Melissa of San Diego and Katie of Santa Maria; and her brother, Jeff Solibakke of Honolulu. Joy was the front desk and reservations manager of the Quality Inn Oceanfront for more than 25 years. In that capacity, she befriended hundreds of co-workers and customers and won numerous awards including Hotel and Motel Association Employee of the Year. Staff at many other oceanfront hotels also relied on her for guidance during crises such as hurricanes, street closures, Labor Day riots and event cancellations. Her co-workers were her extended family and relied on her for support, guidance and, most of all, her infectious sense of humor to relieve the stress of difficult times. With her extensive network of friends and co-workers, Joy had a busy schedule of bridal showers, birthday parties and babysitting that satisfied her exuberant personality which perfectly matched her name. She was also a kingpin of the "Guam Gang," a group of the founding fathers of surfing in Guam and their families and friends who still practice the art throughout the world. There will be a memorial service held Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at the Quality Inn Oceanfront Festival Center at 7th and Atlantic avenues. Coastal Cremations is in charge of the arrangements.