Joy Mowery

Joy Mowery, born Joy Zelle Lawrence, passed away peacefully on Friday morning, November 24th at the age of 90.
Though Joy had been battling Dementia since the isolation Covid year of 2020, she was otherwise in good health. She suffered a fall in 2022 and underwent hip replacement surgery at age 89. It was the aftermath of that surgery over the past year that hastened her passing. Though her memories and recognition came a bit slower over the last several months, she did still know her children at the end.
Joy is survived by 3 children, Lesa Haugh of Fallbrook, California, Robin Olson of Park City, Utah, and Chris Mowery of West Jordan, Utah. She also had 6 grandchildren, Megan Haugh Al-Meshat, Erin Haugh, Devin Olson Selby, Garrett Olson, Taylor Olson Freed and Ashley Mowery. In this last year she also became a Great Grandmother to Hudson Freed and Cameron Olson.
Joy lived in Missouri nearly half her life, but she also made her home in Georgia during WWII, in Rapid City, South Dakota as young Air Force wife. Her years as a young mother were spent in Wichita, Kansas, Fort Worth, Texas, Valencia and Laguna Hills, California. She moved back to Springfield, Missouri in 1993 to care for her mother and proceeded to spend her entire retired life there. Her children moved her to Utah in February of 2021 to be able to better care for her.
Joy was a stay-at-home Mom during her children's formative years, but when she was in the workforce, she was an executive secretary ending her career days at Transamerica Insurance and BankTec.
Joy was an excellent pianist, and though she didn't fulfill her mother's dreams of her being a concert pianist, she loved playing, and making the keys sing as she would say. She played all the way up to two weeks before her passing.
Joy's ashes will be returned to Springfield and buried with her parents, Addie & Andy Lawrence in Maple Park Cemetery this next summer. Joy was a member of the Methodist church her entire life, a good and loving friend and mother until the end. She will be missed, and we all hope she rests in peace.