Joyce Cleopatra Stevens

It is with heavy hearts that we reflect on the fond memories of our dear mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, and dear friend. Joyce Cleopatra Stevens, of Windsor, passed away on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, with her family by her side.
Joyce was born and raised in St. Elizabeth, Catskin, Jamaica, daughter of the late Jonathan and Lilla (Heart) Stevens, and attended Pisgah Primary School. Upon completion, she embarked on the journey she was always most proud of, raising her family, and helping others with health care. In 1988, Joyce migrated to the United States to make a better life for her family and was employed as a private health care aide, retiring after 28 years of service. She was a God-fearing woman and a faithful member of Hope Seventh Day Adventist Church in Bloomfield for the past 36 years, where she was a Deaconess of the church, helped with the food pantry and food bank, and worked on fundraising for the church bus. Her work ethic and drive inspired her family to be the best they could be every day. Over the last several years, Joyce has been traveling back and forth between Windsor and Canada, where she lived with her daughter and her family.
Joyce will fondly be remembered as a kind, caring, and gentle woman who loved her family more than anything and firmly believed that family should stick together. Joyce taught her children the value of faith, family, hope, love, self-reliance, respect, and discipline. She believed that "manners take you around the world" and you should treat others the way you would like to be treated. Joyce gave to a fault, would give you the shirt off her back or the last dollar in her pocket if you needed it, and always made sure everyone had an equal share and was taken care of. She had a great sense of humor, loved to laugh and hear others laugh, and had a smile that would light up a room. Joyce enjoyed doing things her own way, but she had a heart of gold, and everything came from a place of love. As much as she loved to have fun, she was also a very quiet, proper, and dignified woman who accomplished anything she set out to do.
Joyce was an amazing cook and baker, and everything she put together was wonderful, especially Beef Roasts, Sweet Potato Pudding, Sorrel, and Irish Moss. She loved to shop at Macy's and was quite the fashionista. Joyce always made sure she was "dressed to the nines" and every outfit was perfectly accessorized. She enjoyed listening to Gospel and reading her Bible, and was a huge fan of CNN, which had to be on every morning so she could drink a cup of Milo and stay updated on current events. She loved to talk about politics and also enjoyed working in her yard and gardening.
Joyce leaves a legacy of beautiful memories that will live in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved her.
Joyce leaves to celebrate her life, her children, Dr. Jennifer Benjamin and her husband Shaulassie of Ocala, FL, Albert Rowe and his wife Andrea of Kleinburg, Canada, Devon Rowe of Windsor, and Angela Bennett and her husband David of Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada; her grandchildren, who were the lights of her life, Brent Matheson, Daydira Palmer, Kevin Eastman, Shelley Rowe, Jamar Rowe, Janiel Rowe, Julissa Rowe, Jahzaira Rowe, Anisha Davis, Jordan Bennett, Brittney Bennett, Kortnee Ashleigh Bennett, and Kylie Bennett; her great grandson, Malique Johnson; her brother, Rupert Stevens; her sister, Juliette Stevens; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her son, Esworth Palmer; her grandson, Shawn Rowe; and her siblings, Merkle, Leonard, Eunicy, Mancel, and Berris Stevens.
Her family will receive friends on Sunday, December 8, 11 a.m.-12 Noon, with a Celebration of Life, 12 Noon, at Hope Seventh Day Adventist Church, 1052 Blue Hills Ave., Bloomfield.
A Graveside Service will be held on Monday, December 9, 10 a.m., at Mount Saint Benedict Cemetery, Bloomfield.