Joy Margaret Grijalva

Joy Grijalva, a longtime Laurel resident, died April 20th at her home after a sudden illness. She was 82. Originally from England, she moved to Geneva, Switzerland at the age of 20 to work for the United Nations. Struck by the friendliness of the Americans she met there, she came to the United States a year later. Settling in Washington, DC as a secretary in the British Embassy, she lived in Georgetown where she met her future husband, Rudy Grijalva, who died in 1992. They were married for 40 years.. Married life brought assignments in Cheltenham, England and Stuttgart, Germany where she supported her husband’s government career and raised six children. After returning to the United States, she worked at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory for 20 years as an Administrative Assistant for the Command, Control and Communications Program Office. She was an active member of St. Mary of the Mills Catholic Church in Laurel for over 30 years where she served as Eucharistic Lay Minister and was active with outreach. For the last five years, she was also a member at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Catonsville and St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in Newark, DE. Joy is survived by six children: Christopher Grijalva (Maya) of Houston, TX; Hilary Olsen (Thor) of Denton, MD; Maria Czajkowski (Stan) of Catonsville, MD; Vanessa Vavala (Mark) of Wilmington, DE; David Grijalva of Laurel, MD and Alexis Rivers (William) of Elkton, MD. Survivors also include her seven beloved grandchildren: Mark Grijalva; Francesca and Alexander Czajkowski; Victoria, Amalia, and Lucy Vavala; and Jacob Scott Grijalva. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to Catholic Relief Services, 228 W. Lexington St. Baltimore MD 21201.