Joyce Coltman Sterrett

Joyce Coltman Sterrett passed away on February 11, 2026. Born on July 26, 1944, in Springfield, Illinois, Joyce later moved with her family to Park Ridge, Illinois. There, in 5th grade, she met the love of her life, Bob. After their first date as high school sophomores, she told her mother and great aunts that they would marry. She was right, and theirs became a true love story.

Joyce and Bob attended the University of Georgia where Joyce was a proud Phi Mu, serving as vice president and helping to start up the sorority on other college campuses. In 1966, Joyce and Bob married. After Bob finished law school and his clerkship, they moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where they lived for the next 30-plus years. Joyce started her career as an elementary school teacher and, later, after their children were born, became a private tutor. In her next career, she became a highly successful and well-respected real estate agent. She volunteered for many years at the PGA's Atlanta Classic, serving as the clubhouse chairman. During their time in Atlanta, Joyce and Bob developed and fostered many close friendships. And, she always remained close with a core group of her high school friends, who took yearly trips together, coined themselves as the WRLG ("We're Really Looking Good") crew, and could have written a dozen books about their escapades. Not surprisingly to anyone who knew her, Joyce was always the life of the party.

Joyce was also a listener. She asked all the right questions, showing her care and support for her friends and family. Some might say that her superpower was her ability to disarm even the most private person with her empathy. She had an amazing gift that we could all learn from.

Joyce and Bob retired to St. Petersburg, Florida. In St. Pete, Joyce was actively involved in the yacht club, organizing bridge groups and mahjong. Bob and Joyce also adventured out on their boat, enjoying overnight trips down the Gulf coast. In retirement, Bob and Joyce loved to travel, especially on the biggest cruise ships that they could find. Joyce was a master of getting the best dinner table at the best time, the best hotel room, and the best service always.

But home for Joyce was always Klinger Lake, Michigan. Joyce believed in the healing powers of the Lake, always carrying a bit of Lake water home with her. She enjoyed her nightly "cocktail cruises" where she told her many stories that she had collected over the decades. She loved sitting in the sunroom, where she could open the windows to feel the breeze or hear the gentle lap of the waves. And, she loved spending her mornings in the kitchen, where she could best remember her adoring parents, John and Jane.

Joyce loved lots of things: travel, the Christmas season, dancing, water skiing, golf, dressing up and dressing well, Bloody Marys … but, more than anything else, she had unconditional love for her family, friends and her Bob (he her Captain and she his Mate).

Joyce is survived by her soulmate Bob, her husband of 59 ½ years, her son Rob, her daughter Holly, her three granddaughters (Savannah, Zoe, and Maggie), her daughter-in-law Cathy, her son-in-law Russ, her sister Barbara, her brother- and sisters-in-law (Jack, Lynda, Bruce, Helene),and her three nieces (Pam, Vicki, and Ashley).

A service for family and long-time friends will be held on February 18, 2026, at 1PM at the Anderson McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33704. A larger celebration of life service will be held in the summer at the Presbyterian Church in Sturgis, Michigan followed by a gathering at the Klinger Lake Country Club. In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome contributions to the First Presbyterian Church, 1320 S. Lakeview, Sturgis, Michigan 49091 or a charity of your choice.