Joy Wilson Ely

Joy Wilson Ely 1925 ~ 2009 Joy Wilson Ely, born September 4th, 1925 in Warren, Pennsylvania, died peacefully March 20th in Knoxville, Tennessee at the home of her son and surrounded by her family. She had recently moved from Salt Lake City to Knoxville to live with family, but developed pneumonia and was unable to recover. As a young girl, Joy lived in the Philippines, Hawaii, Kansas, Washington DC, and San Francisco, as her father was a Colonel in the US Army. Following Pearl Harbor, her family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where her father was second in command of an 8-state region headquartered at Fort Douglas. Joy spent most of the next 67 years in Salt Lake. She graduated from East High, and then from the University of Utah in 1946 with a BA in psychology. With greater aspirations, Joy decided to attend medical school, in part "because my dad said I couldn't." She graduated as one of only two females in the University of Utah class of 1950, an accomplishment that exemplified her personal strength, intelligence, and determination. While in medical school, she was introduced to one of her instructors, Dr. Robert Ely, by her advisor who thought they would make a great couple. They were married after a brief courtship, raised four children, and lived 37 happy years together in Salt Lake City until Bob's death in 1987. Joy trained in psychiatry, interning at Mt. Zion hospital in San Francisco in 1951. While raising her children she saw patients at home. She returned to full time work in 1969 at the Salt Lake County Mental Health Center, eventually becoming Head of the Inpatient Unit. After the loss of her husband and daughter, she moved to St. George and worked as the Medical Director of the Washington County Mental Health system for several years. Joy was an animal lover, and never met a stray she didn't want to adopt. Over the years, the family always had at least two dogs at the house, and sometimes as many as four. She was also a dedicated walker, and loved navigating Red Butte Canyon, Bonneville Glen and Laird Park with her dogs, no matter the weather. Later, she branched out and acquired cats as well. She is survived by her current brood: her cats Mikey and Johnny and dogs Maggie and Nikki. Joy was a lifelong reader. She was often in the middle of some 700 page tome or another and refused to let herself abandon a book, no matter the subject. Her love of books made giving presents easy. Reading became harder in later years as her mental capacities declined, but one of her last favourite books was 'Because of Winn-Dixie' - undoubtedly because it was about a dog. Among Joy's keenest interests was politics. She loved to hold court in the kitchen on a wide range of subjects, and was known for her dry wit and brutal honesty. During her last year, when even reading the paper was sometimes a chore and engaging in a vigorous conversation no longer possible, she followed the Obama campaign with acuity and devotion. Joy's life was enriched by her long-time friendships with her Kappa Club group and their monthly luncheons. She also cherished the time spent with her good friend and walking partner, Betsy Chatelain. Joy was preceded in death by her parents, daughter (Robyn), her husband, and her brother (John). She will be missed dearly by her daughter Susan (Jim) Ely Cielinski (London, England); son Daniel (Moira) Ely, MD (Knoxville, Tennessee), son Michael (Tricia) Ely (Salt Lake City, Utah), and her grandchildren Katie and Molly Cielinski; Danielle, Cameron, Lexi, and Jenna Ely; and Benjamin, Rachael, Jacob, Joseph, and Emma Ely. A memorial service and mingling afterward will be held Saturday, April 25th, 2009 at 12:00 noon in the Monument Park Stake Center, 1320 South Wasatch Drive (about 2450 East). In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Humane Society of Utah or the University of Utah School of Medicine.