Joyce S. Dunlap

Joyce S. Dunlap, age 97, formerly of Southern Shores, North Carolina, passed away in Gibsonia, PA on March 25, 2024. Child of Boyd and Martha Smith, Joyce graduated, along with four cousins, from Berwick High School in Berwick, PA in 1944. She married Paul R. Dunlap in 1947 and moved with him to State College, PA where she took courses at Penn State while Paul finished his degree. Her educational pursuits continued throughout her life, as she took courses in art, literature, finance, flower-arranging, and cooking.
Joyce was the mother of three children, Paula Dunlap (Charles Justus) of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jill Whitecap (Brian) of Cecil, PA, and Justine A. Dunlap of Providence, RI. She had nine grandchildren, David Weisbrod (Nadine), Jaime Goldsmith (Stan), Vanessa Fereday (Zach), Celeste Mitchell, Spencer Mitchell, Liam Dunlap, Amy Western (Bryan), Brad Whitecap (Krysta), and Trevor Whitecap. She also had eight great grandchildren, Isaac, Elliott, and Asher Weisbrod, Dakota, Isabella and Kassidy Goldsmith, Madeline and CJ Western, and Evander and Titus Whitecap.
After living in Athens, Ohio for nearly two decades, Joyce and Paul retired to the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 1985, where they were active in the Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church. Joyce remained in North Carolina until 2014 when she moved to Gibsonia to be near her daughter and son-in-law. Joyce enjoyed painting and pottery-making, and was a member of numerous garden clubs and book clubs. She was a voracious reader of fiction and non-fiction alike. Joyce enjoyed travel and visited Asia, Africa, and Europe, as well as Bermuda and other islands. Her traveling companions included her husband, sister-in-law Jean Dunlap, and her daughters.
She is predeceased by Paul, her husband of 53 years, and siblings Bernard Smith and Judith Chesney. She is survived by siblings June Duke and Kenneth Smith and all of her children.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hotline, an Outer Banks organization that assists survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Donations may be mailed to Hotline, PO Box 1056, Nags Head, North Carolina, 27959 or made through their website at www.obhotline.org.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 6, 2024, 11:00 AM at Beverly Heights Church, 1207 Washington Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15228.