Joyce LaVearne Clark was born on April 7, 1930, in Ira, TX, to John and Kate Day. She only had one brother, John Day, Jr. Joyce married H.V. Clark on April 15, 1950, at the Krolls' church on the Southside. They honeymooned in H.V.'s sister Ruby's house and began a life together. In the early 50's, H.V. and Joyce begin attending the Foursquare Gospel Church and have continued going there all these years. Nine months after they were married, Johnny H Clark was born three months early. A tiny baby his Mama could hold in one hand; she waited 5 weeks to bring him home and he was the apple of her eye. Two girls soon followed, Nancy Carol...
Joyce LaVearne Clark was born on April 7, 1930, in Ira, TX, to John and Kate Day.
She only had one brother, John Day, Jr. Joyce married H.V. Clark on April 15, 1950, at the Krolls' church on the Southside. They honeymooned in H.V.'s sister Ruby's house and began a life together. In the early 50's, H.V. and Joyce begin attending the Foursquare Gospel Church and have continued going there all these years.
Nine months after they were married, Johnny H Clark was born three months early. A tiny baby his Mama could hold in one hand; she waited 5 weeks to bring him home and he was the apple of her eye. Two girls soon followed, Nancy Carol and Virginia LaVerne who her Mama said was too small for her name and was called Ginny Wren...later just Ginny.
H.V. and Joyce decided that was plenty and life went on. Soon H.V. notices the kids are getting big and tells Joyce that they may need one more to take care of them when they are old and here came Cathy Melissa...who was almost the straw that broke the camel's back. Cathy lived with them for 38 years. Finally Joyce decided Cathy would need someone when they were gone and told her she was going to pray for her a husband. Soon someone new moved in next door and Joyce cultivated a friendship with a tall blue-eyed smiling man and she decided he was for her baby daughter Cathy, and she was right!
Joyce had to work to help supplement H.V.'s hard day's work as a paint contractor, and often took jobs to work at night so she would be available for her kids in the day. She wore many hats, working as a clerk at 7-11, a telephone operator for Southwestern Bell, worked in several cleaners, she worked at the Levi plant, took in ironing and mending. She also made hamburgers at Jo Jo's Drive-In. She said she wasn't too good for any job, but finally she got some better paying jobs working at El Paso Products and Chevron Oil.
Eventually she learned where her passion was and that was in selling real estate. She had a winning personality and always had a smile on her face, earning her the slogan of ' The lady with a smile" which is what she had on her business cards. People just naturally liked her instantly. She went to work for Reeves Real Estate and tried to make her own business which was Clark Real Estate. Eventually she worked for Sims and Guess Realtors and ended her career there.
In 1997, she suffered a small stroke and selling real estate soon became too much for her and much to her dislike she had to retire. It was not a happy retirement being she was always busy. It took a long time before she settled in not having to rush off to work every day. Instead of going to work she would go to Wal-Mart nearly every day just to get out of the house. Quite a few years' later memory problems became very evident and she became unable to stay at home. We moved her to a new home at Seabury Nursing Center. She sure didn't like it at first but soon was very comfortable and happy there. Often we would find her busily going down the halls sharing a smile with everyone on her way to the coke machine outside.
One of her favorite times was the gospel hymn singing days on Thursday morning where she would often be seen singing without a book. Often H.V. would bring his harmonica and play along. H.V. soon became her constant companion having to quit painting at the age of 80 so he could spend more time with his Joyce. He would drive to Seabury at lunch and suppertime to spend with his love...every day for three and half years he was by her side. She soon would begin waiting by the front door looking for him...when she saw him coming up the walkway she would say "There's my boyfriend!" Once again we noticed a change in her as the dementia took its affect. Her final two days were spent under the care of Hospice House and on June 15, 2012, at "quitting time" at 5 pm, she said goodbye to us and went home leaving as gracefully as she had lived.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, John and Kate Day, her brother Junior and her son Johnny H. Clark in 1999. She had many aunts and uncles...all gone on before her too.
She is survived by her husband of 62 years, H.V. Clark and three daughters, Nancy Thompson and her husband Jim, of Henderson TX, and Jim's daughter Jennifer and Jay and granddaughter Katie of Odessa; Ginny Rodgers of Odessa; and Cathy Conway and husband David of Odessa, TX. She had four grandkids, Melissa Nicole James of Kilgore, TX, Kristy LaVon Escontrias of Odessa, TX, Elias Jermiah Cervantez of Austin, TX and Kevin John Clark of Odessa, TX; cousins, Sarah Clanton, Jerry Millhollen, Jim Millhollen and Frances Hollinghead; and lots of in-laws and some outlaws but all loved ones.
We would like to say thanks to the Seabury Center staff for your tender care given to our Mama during her stay there. We have grown to rely on some of you knowing that you cared for her and could be trusted. We will miss your smiling faces. Much appreciation to Hospice House for making the last two days of her life as easy as was possible and for making us feel so comfortable. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you all.
A family visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, June 18, 2012, at Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home.
Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 19, 2012, at Hubbard Kelly Chapel with Robert Lamb Sr and Ruff Lamb of Grace Fellowship Church officiating. Burial will follow at Ector County Cemetery, Odessa Section.
Services entrusted to Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home of Odessa.