Joyce Marie Miller Justice, 84, Mama Joyce, beloved mother of Greg Justice of Ironton and Connie Crowther of Coral Gables, Fla., dear sister of James (Jim) Miller of Ironton and Rebecca (Becky) Sheets of Olivenhain, Calif., died Aug. 18, 2010, in Jo Lin Health Care Center, where she had lived for the past two years.
She was predeceased in 1996 by her husband, Clyde W. (Spider) Justice, to whom she was married for 53 years.
She was born April 26, 1926, in Ironton, daughter of the late Harold and Gladys Colfer Miller. Joyce grew up on North Sixth Street in Ironton, the descendent of proud Irish and German ancestors.
Her family has lived at the corner of Vesuvius and North Sixth Street for more than 160 years.
Joyce worked as a teller at both the Jones Street branch and downtown offices of Star Bank, later US Bank, for 30 years.
She also was predeceased by another sister, Mary Ann Johnson.
Other survivors include daughter-in-law, Sharry Waldo Justice; son-in-law, Tim Crowther, originally of Lincoln, England, now from Coral Gables, Fla.; grandchildren, Jaime Calnan (Ben) of Columbus and Jason Smith (Kelly) of Ironton; great-grandchildren Hannah and Luke Mills and Abigail Calnan of Columbus; sister-in-law, Patty Armstrong of South Point; nieces and nephews, Lisa Myers (Butch) of Ironton; Sherry Martin (Ronnie) of Canton; Steven and Leslie Sheets of California; Debbie Miller (Steve) of Baltimore; J.D. Miller (Gleesa) of Houston; Sharon Spillman of Wheelersburg; Fred Classing (the late Sharon) of Ironton; David Justice (Wendy) Columbus; Brian Armstrong (Wendy) of Seville; Rodney Armstrong (Crystal) of Mount Sterling; Lee Ann Armstrong Chapman (John) of Chesapeake; and many great-nephews and -nieces.
Joyce always had others’ interests in the forefront and spent much of her life devoted to caring for not only her husband and children, but also many other beloved family members: her grandmother, Mammaw Reba Colfer; her aunt, Mary Gower “Mamie” Colfer, the legendary Kingsbury school teacher who taught for more than 60 years; Mabel Justice, her mother-in-law to whom the family had lived next door for more than 45 years; and, lastly, her beloved husband Clyde, in his final years.
Joyce, Clyde and their family were members of the First Baptist Church of Ironton. She graduated from Ironton High School in 1943.
She represented the family in the administration of the Mary G. Colfer Scholarship Fund at Ohio University Southern Campus, which supports young women entering the teaching profession each year.
Services will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Tracy Brammer Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Woodland Cemetery. Visitation will be Saturday at 11 a.m. Pallbearers will be Jason Smith, Ben Calnan, Fred and David Classing, Brian and Rodney Armstrong, Kevin Waldo and David Justice. Honorary pallbearers will be Ronnie Martin, Arthur (Butch) Myers, Don Crance and Vince Stuntebeck.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Mary G. Colfer Scholarship Fund, Ohio University Southern, c/o Scholarship Coordinator, 1804 Liberty Avenue, Ironton, OH 45638.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.tracybrammerfh.com.