Joyce A. Zurcher

Joyce A. (Yoder) Zurcher, 89, of Wilmot, OH, passed away on Thursday, May 11th, 2023 at Walnut Hills Nursing Home following a period of declining health. Born Sun. Sept. 17, 1933, to the late Nelson A. and Lillian A. (Shanower) Yoder, she grew up in Wilmot, attended school there and in Beach City, graduating in 1951 from Beach City High School. On Nov. 13, 1952, she married Orion D. Zurcher (also of Wilmot)
who preceded her in death on July 31, 2022. They are the parents of three sons: Terry, Michael, and Steven, and one daughter, Kristine (Gary) Liknes. Joyce was a kind and loving grandma to Shannon, Sara, Emily, Debbie, Jennifer, Jamie, and Jill, and was a special, cherished aunt to her nieces and nephews. Joyce also had many dear friends and acquaintances.
Prior to marriage, Joyce worked as a telephone switchboard operator in Beach City. Later, she worked for over 20 years at Alpine-Alpa in Wilmot. She was a lifelong member of Wilmot United Methodist Church, where over the decades, she assisted in teaching Sunday School and vacation Bible school, sung in the choir, and baked for many fall bazaars. In 1994, she had a key role in organizing a chapter of United Methodist Women there at Wilmot. Joyce was an avid quilter and she also liked to knit and crochet, read books, attend Bible study group, cook, and bake. Nothing made her happier than having her family together for dinners and celebrations.
As the daughter of a WWI veteran and the wife of a WWII veteran, Joyce had a unique perspective on history. Her childhood experiences of growing up during the Great Depression and the Second World War shaped her profoundly. When she was a little girl, she lost her older brother, Homer, to diphtheria. As this was in the days before a vaccine, the family had to be quarantined during their grieving. Joyce's childhood experiences gave her many interesting stories to share. In 2018, she shared some of these stories in a living history interview at MAPS Air Museum in Green, which can be found on YouTube.
In addition to her brother, parents, and husband, Joyce is preceded in death by her sister, Mary Jane Fulton.
In addition to her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, she survived by a sister-in-law, Joann Zurcher, of Terre Haute, IN.
A service to celebrate Joyce's life will be held at 11am on Friday, May 19, 2023 at Spidell Funeral Home in Mt. Eaton, with Rev. Matthew Wald officiating. Friends may call there one hour before the service. Burial will be in Greenlawn Cemetery in Wilmot.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wilmot United Methodist Church, MAPS Air Museum, or The Macular Degeneration Research fund.
The family wishes to thank the caring, compassionate staff at Walnut Hills for their exceptional care of Joyce over these past 21 months. Thank you, Joyce, for being a devoted, loving, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend. We love you and miss you!