Joyce Elaine McDaniel Robertson was greeted by Jesus in heaven before sunrise on March 15, 2019. She lived 83 long years. Among the welcoming party was her husband, Guy, with whom she shared life for half a century. Her children, James McNaughton, Mike Robertson and Dianne Choate, were elated to have her home – a new body, a new mind.
The daughter of the late Oliver Curtis McDaniel and Christine Mabry, Joyce was born in Doddsville, Mississippi on November 30, 1935. If you ever met Joyce, you would not forget her. A servant at heart, she was busy and bold. She loved fresh tomatoes, ice cream and the companionship of dogs. She tolerated most people too.
She leaves behind three sons, Scotty Robertson of Orlando (Kimberly), Keith Robertson of Tupelo (Tanya) and Craig Robertson of Ridgeland (Rachel). She took pride in her eleven (11) grandchildren and ten (10) great-grandchildren.
She laughed hard when she did, and she always spoke her mind. She spent hours at the ballpark during the heat of the Mississippi summer, and she had one of the biggest azalea bushes in the neighborhood. She grew strawberries, cucumbers and other vegetables in her backyard, and she loved a good watermelon, growing a few of those through the years too. Suffering great loss in her life, she ceaselessly persevered, not being one to look back much. Forward was her preferred direction. When her mother became sick, she took her in. When her needs became too great, she was her fearless advocate for over a decade, living out the pure religion spoke of in James 1:27 while balancing her family and her responsibilities at work.
Joyce had a long career in retail sales, and when she spoke, you could not help but listen. Alongside her husband, she modeled an insatiable work ethic, a blessing she passed along to her children and grandchildren.
She would journal events in the life of her family, and she loved old Baptist hymns, humming them in the car on the way home from Oak Forest Baptist Church. She later became a member of Pinelake when she and Guy moved to Brandon.
When her husband could no longer stay with her, Tanya and Keith helped her navigate the final years of her life in Tupelo, where she made good friends like Ruth Lewis and the great residents and staff of Magnolia Manor. She was the life of the party on Hall B. Ask anyone.
Visitation will be held at Parkway Funeral home located at 1161 Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland, Mississippi from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Friends and family are also asked to join in the celebration of her journey at a service immediately following.
