JOYCE WINNELL MAYES (HOWARD)
1929-2018
Surrounded by family, our dear mother, grand-mother, great-grandmother and friend peacefully passed away in Houston on March 26, 2018, at the age of 89. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord only makest me dwell in safety. Psalms 4:8. Joyce was born at home in Mildred, Texas, and is preceded in death by her beloved husband Franklin P. Mayes, her mother Lyda Mae Deavers, and brother, Travis C. Owens.
After a magical childhood in rural Texas with cotton fields surrounding her house, Joyce moved to the Gulf Coast in the late 1940’s. She raised her children in Dickinson where she had many close friends, and was active in the First Baptist Church. Later, she moved to Houston to be close to her children. She joined Lazybrook, and then Oak Forest Baptist Church where she made many new friends. A strong and fiercely independent woman, she worked tirelessly to support her children. While Joyce never had the opportunity to formally attend college, she made sure all her children did. Through hard work, she nevertheless became a successful professional, retiring from NASA (JSC) in 1990.
Her faith in the Lord was her foundation in good times and bad. She often played the piano at home, singing songs from the Baptist Hymnal. Joyce taught Sunday school, and studied the bible through the last days of her life. She liked to travel, talk, and had a great love for food and hosting family events. She lived independently and remained active until her death, touring Alaska in 2016, and in 2017 she completed her quest to visit all 50 states, saving the best for last – Fargo, North Dakota. With her kindness and empathy, she touched many lives.
Joyce is survived by her children Doug Howard and his wife Jane from Honolulu, Joycelyn Webster, Steve Howard, and Cheryl Howard and her partner Kendra Cook, from Houston. GrandChildren: Andrew Webster and his wife Sam, Amie Ford and her husband Matt, Kylie Howard and his wife Heather, Ashley Gibbs and her husband Jessie, Keegan Cook; Great-Grand Children: Brooke Howard, Ivy Howard, Brandon Ford, Bryan Ford, Brody Ford, Brayden Ford, Kaitlin Hernandez, Ethan Gibbs, Ian Gibbs and many nieces and nephews and friends too numerous to mention. She was dearly loved by her husband Frank’s family in Virginia, including Brenda & Glenn Mayes and the entire extended Mayes family and friends.
Viewing, Monday, April 2, from 6-8 pm, Pat H. Foley funeral home 1200 W. 34th St. Funeral service, Tuesday, April 3d at 10:30 am, Oak Forest Baptist Church, 1700 W. 43d St.