Joy Skaggs

1960 - 2025

Joy passed away August 21, 2025, aged 65, after a courageous battle with cancer. She held a quiet presence – however; her enduring strength was immeasurable.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Joy grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan, and Houston, Texas.

She attended Texas A&M University, where she obtained her Bachelor's of Science degree in Nuclear Engineering.

Joy was employed by Pacific Gas & Electric company, retiring after 35 years of service. The entirety of her career was spent working in the Operations Department at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant (DCPP).

Impressively, she was the first woman to obtain a Senior Reactor Operator's license at DCPP. She was very well respected by her colleagues for her subject matter expertise, was known for being level-headed, and for her sharp wit.

Her kind, generous spirit shone through often, but was especially remarkable during the holidays, when she thoughtfully brought gifts to those working and volunteered to cover shifts for her coworkers so they were able to spend time with their families.

Joy's many passions included travel, baseball, football, day hiking through National Parks, and aviation.

She was fond of animals. She loved English bulldogs, having owned several, and was amused by their comedic afflictions and surprising athleticism.

An avid adventurer, Joy's love of travel took her all over the world. She visited countries on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica. Some of her favorite destinations included Alaska, Australia, Tahiti, Norway, Italy, and Japan. One of the very few objections Joy had to travel was camping, of which she was not a fan.

She was renowned for sending postcards and emailing pictures of her adventures in the hopes that it would encourage others to explore and experience the beauty of world. She was frequently sought out for her advice and recommendations regarding travel by friends and coworkers.

She will forever be missed by her brother Robert Skaggs, and wife Rosemary; sister Melody Gibson, and husband Michael; nephews Noah Skaggs and Thomas Gibson; nieces Crystal Rico and Janel Gibson; and her many, many, life long friends.

Joy requested her ashes be scattered at sea, overlooking Diablo Canyon, by her Family and a few of her dearest friends, at a future date.

A celebration of Life will be held at a future date to be announced.

In lieu of flowers, Joy requests that contributions in her memory be directed to:

The Sequoia Parks Conservancy (sequoiaparksconservancy.org).