Joyce Bishop

BISHOP, Joyce Coulter, 84, of Mechanicsville, Va., entered eternal rest on January 17, 2011. She was preceded in death by a son, Jay Coulter Bishop of Tappahannock; her parents, Walter and Clarice Coulter; and her brother, Walter Jay Coulter Jr., all of Richmond. She is survived by her children, Pam Somma of Richmond, Chuck Somma (Dora) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Susan Mantlo (Chuck) of Mechanicsville; eight grandchildren, Scott and Randy Bishop of Tappahannock, Kenneth, Michelle, Michael, Jonathan and Emily Somma of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Tracy Mantlo of Mechanicsville; two great-grandchildren, Coulter and Grady Bishop of Tappahannock; her nephews, Jay and Joe Coulter; and her sister-in-law, Betty Coulter Sullivan. Joyce was the former co-owner of Tiny Town and Tantilla Gardens, Lindy's Restaurant and the Byrd Theatre, all of which her father built, owned and operated. She lived most of her life in Richmond and attended St. Catherine's, St. Margaret's and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School. She volunteered for more than 1,000 hours at McGuire VA Hospital and worked for 10 years as a department manager at the Rose's Store in Tappahannock before her retirement. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 22, at 11 a.m. at Covenant Woods, 7090 Covenant Woods Dr., Mechanicsville, Va. 23111. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Covenant Woods Covenant Program at the above address.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.