Betty Joyce McBride

September 29, 1935 – March 25, 2026

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

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In the early hours of March 25, 2026, at her perfectly appointed time, Joyce McBride gently passed from this life into the presence of Jesus, her Savior. In that moment, all the question marks were quieted, the promise of heaven was fulfilled, and the yearning of her soul was satisfied.

Joyce was born on September 29, 1935, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to John Bruce and Edna Whiteley, the second of two daughters. She was raised in Broken Arrow and the surrounding area, where for a period of time, her family owned a small country store and gas station. Windmills dotted the rural landscape, providing an irresistible jungle gym for adventurous four year old Joyce—much to the dismay of her acrophobic father, who was compelled to fetch her on the one occasion she dared scale those heights.

She graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 1953 and went on to attend Oklahoma Baptist University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Secretarial Science in 1958. After graduating, Joyce accepted a position as a church secretary at Bristol Street Baptist Church in Santa Ana, California. It was during this time that she met her future husband, Wayne. After a short courtship, they became engaged and were married on December 17, 1960, at Bristol Street Baptist Church.

With the birth of her first-born Bradley Wayne, in 1963, Joyce devoted herself to motherhood — and to exercising great patience as she kept her energetic toddler from becoming the world’s first stunt baby, scaling everything from refrigerators to rooftops. Apparently climbing was in the DNA. At least it wasn’t a windmill. Three additional children followed: Brenda, Brent, and Blake.

In 1972, the family moved from Santa Ana to Fountain Valley. There, Joyce settled into suburban life, supporting the children in countless activities — Little League, Little Miss Softball, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, gymnastics, football, and Westwood stables where their two horses were boarded. In the hopes that any of the children would forge musical talent that rivaled hers, Joyce supported those ambitions of all four children. Not one of whom attained significant proficiency in any of the instruments purchased for their enrichment in life. Alas, Joyce’s piano remained marked only by her own fingerprints in those formative years, save the occasional tune of “chopsticks” by one of the non-prodigy children.

By 1967, recreational vehicles became an important part of the family’s travel adventures. Frequent camping trips included destinations such as O’Neil Park, Pismo Beach, Blue Jay, in Cleveland National Forest, and later Rancho Corrido in San Diego County. In the summer of 1977, the family spent 2 weeks road-tripping in the motor home from Southern California into Washington. In the far reaches of Northern California, Joyce was delighted to discover a massive berry patch along the highway. For Joyce, picking berries and canning jars of jam was entirely doable in a motorhome.

In 1975, Joyce volunteered to step into a vacated church secretary role at Trinity Baptist Church. What began as a temporary position soon grew into a long term calling, one she faithfully fulfilled until her retirement 22 years later, in 1997. At her retirement party, the pastor surprised her with an all-expense-paid trip to Hawaii – which began right at that moment. A limousine awaited curbside to deliver Joyce and Wayne to LAX.

The 1980’s were a transition decade as children left the nest and Joyce added mother-in-law and grandmother as new titles. In total, ten grandchildren were welcomed into the McBride clan — each one cherished and adored by Joyce.

As the retirement years unfolded, Joyce filled her days with the things she loved most—time with family, Sunday morning worship, camping, and traveling the country in the motor home, even an adventurous road-trip on the back of a motorcycle with Wayne. Each morning began with devotions and Bible reading, a practice she and Wayne faithfully shared. Her Bible, worn, annotated, and highlighted, reflected the evidence of God’s goodness all over her life.

When Joyce began to recognize signs of Alzheimer’s, Scripture became a signal fire of grace, every word of God reflected an eternal hope that wouldn’t fade even as her memory dimmed. As if in defiance of what was ahead, she committed the books of James and Romans to memory, along with Psalm 139 for good measure. Alzheimer’s revealed that Joyce’s faith was not fragile or easily shaken; instead, it deepened. Even as Alzheimer’s cruel grip tightened, she rested in the unchanging truth that her soul was secure in Christ.

By 2018, Joyce was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. While it advanced slowly, it eventually took her voice, her recognition of those she loved, and by 2022, it took her from her home. Thus began the sunset of Joyce’s earthly journey, where her final years were spent in a care home that sheltered her until the end.

The epilogue to Joyce’s life is that she is now living everything that those who place their hope and trust in Christ believe. She knew that God’s word was true and that every promise spoken in the Law, the Prophets, and throughout Scripture pointed to the cross of Calvary. It is the place where 5-year-old Joyce surrendered her life to Jesus. And it is where “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Joyce’s greatest earthly treasure she leaves behind includes; her husband of more than 65 years, Wayne McBride; her four children and their spouses — Bradley McBride (Jill), Brenda Platacis (Michael), Brent McBride (Lea), and Blake McBride (Denise); and ten grandchildren — Allan McBride (Amber), Troy Snyder (Amanda), Chad Snyder (Kristin), Janet Thaete (Adam), Cody McBride, Justin McBride (Taylor), Kyle McBride, Emily Olshevski (Jordan), Timothy McBride, and Alexis McBride; and six great-grandchildren — Carson, Mari, Philip James (PJ), Caleb, Audrey, and Alice. A seventh great grandson is expected in the summer of 2026.

Additionally, Joyce is survived by her nephew, Jeff Hudson, and his children Nicole, Matt, and Mandy, as well as many other grandnieces and grandnephews.

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Psalm 139: 1-18, 23-24

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Visitation will be held at Westminster Memorial Park, Main Chapel, 14801 Beach Blvd., Westminster, CA 92683, on April 9, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

A Funeral Service will take place at Beachpoint Church, 17415 Magnolia St., Fountain Valley, CA 92708, on April 10, 2026, at 10:00 am.

A Committal Service will follow at Westminster Memorial Park, Garden of Remembrance, 14801 Beach Blvd., Westminster, CA 92683, on April 10, 2026, at 1:30 pm.