Joyce Ann Ford Eden

Joyce Ann Ingram was born on November 28, 1941, in Evansville, Indiana the youngest child of Oliver and Jeanette Ingram. She attended grade school and high school in Evansville. She married Richard A. Ford on February 22, 1960. The couple were parents to four children: Tina, Richard, Kathy and Scott.

She was preceded in death by her parents; first husband, Richard Ford; second husband, Wilburn Eden and her sister, Mary Neale.

Joyce is survived by her daughter Tina Ford (Daniel); son, Richard Ford (Sandy); daughter, Kathleen Ford; son, Scott Ford (Debbi); grandchildren, Skyler Ford (Paula), Stephanie Phillips (Dustin), Scotty Ford, Joshua Warman (Aleksa), Jessica Ford (Tyler), Justin Ford (Karah), RJ Ford, Jordan McDowell, Olivia McDowell and Emmy Citoler; great-grandchildren, Ayden, Lily, Aiden, Mary, Jackson, Jazelle, Liam, Lumen, Revan, Amalthea, Calvin, Aiden, Preston, Gracie and Abby; brother, Thomas Ingram (Gail); brother-in-law, Ron Neale and her partner in God, Jim Hibbert.

A Funeral Service will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, December 22, 2018 at Alexander West Chapel, 2100 W. Illinois Street, with burial in Park Lawn Cemetery. Friends may visit 3:00 to 8:00 p.m., Friday, December 21, 2018 and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the funeral home. Condolences may be made online at www.AlexanderWestChapel.com.

Memories of Mom

Tina’s Memories

When I was eleven, the first blizzard I had ever experienced closed down the school, and we four kids stayed home with Mom. The snow had drifted up to the bottom of the windows. Mom let us watch the Wizard of Oz together while she made us fresh doughnuts and hot chocolate. This day was one of her favorite memories of life with her kids she told it to me over and over and it always made her so happy....

Shopping at Macy's one day we ran into a handsome black couple and Mom starting talking to them, Mom would talk to anyone and everyone she did not know a stranger. I was busy so I didn't pay much attention

but after about 5 minutes they invited us to go to their church the next day. They gave us their phone number and the address of the church, BUT

also told us they could not attend this Sunday. So we went home and I looked up the address and it is right in the middle of crack town a very, very rough neighborhood in Indy. But she insisted so we put on our best and headed to church the next day.

Yes it is true if looks could kill we would be dead because when we walked into the church we were the only white folks there and they were NOT happy. So we take our seats and I am sliding down low in mine trying to stay out of sight as much as possible.

The church was old and beautiful, carved wood, stained glass and incredible masonry work. So after a few songs the minister invited Sister Joyce to come to the pulpit, Mom stood up and headed up front. I am now thinking we are dead what is going on. Little did I know she called the couple that invited us and told them that she got a message from God that she needed to read at that church. Incredibly they said yes to a woman that they didn't even know! Which is one of the beautiful things I love about Mom people trusted her immediately AND her great power of persuasion!

There had to be at least 200 people in that church and when she got up there you could hear a pin drop. They put her behind the pulpit but Mom is so short you could only see the top of her head. So she spoke softly at first I think she was a bit nervous, after a few lines of scripture someone said Amen. Then she got a little louder and then another Amen sister, Mom got louder and louder and the crowd got louder and louder with their Amens. All you could see was the top of her head going up and down faster and faster as she got louder and louder. At the end of the reading people were cheering her with their black Christian souls and any racism that remained was washed away by her words and her energy. I was so proud of her at that moment.

After the service people swarmed around us with smiles and embraces

it was a profound moment for all of us.

I tell you this story because I think it sums up what type of person my Mom was, a true servant of God, fearless in the face of diversity, loving and compassionate for all God's creatures. I will always remember how humble she was on that day, not taking any credit for what was accomplished in this beautiful black congregation, she knew that possibly she was breaking the chains of hatred and contempt but she gave all the credit to the Lord she was just his tool. I will never forget this day....

This incredible dynamic woman formed me into the person I am today.

She touched my heart and soul with her love and energy, pushing me to be strong and independent, encouraging me and protecting me along my path in life. When I was down she picked me up even when she could no longer walk. We shared so much joy and love even through our darkest hours, we did so many things together. I am so blessed to have had the honor to take care of her for so long. I can’t even begin to express how much I loved her, losing her is the most life changing event that I have ever experienced. It will be revealed eventually what I will become without her, but I will do my best to make her proud.

I love you Mama watch over me...

Your daughter,

Tina

Richard’s Memories

When we were young there wasn’t much to do, but there was always the bowling alley. Mom was in a league and and took us along and put us in daycare at the bowling alley. We were pretty young at the time. One time, she accidentally left me behind. Everyone jumped in the station wagon, but they didn’t take a head count. I had stayed in the daycare room playing. When I finally noticed everyone was gone, I went to the daycare lady and asked, “Where is my Mom?”

“Well, Honey,” she replied, “who is your mom?” I didn’t know because I always called her Mom. “Well, what does she look like?” the woman asked.

I answered, “She is blond and loud.”

“Oh,” the woman responded, “Joyce Ford!”

Mom used to make us cheap doughnuts using Pillsbury biscuits. She would take them out of the can and then punch a hole in each biscuit. Then she would place each biscuit and each hole into the deep fryer. When they were brown, she would take them out and put cinnamon and sugar, and sometimes powdered sugar on them if we had it. We loved them.

When we used to go to the movies, Mom loved to get popcorn and Milk Duds. I was sitting next to her one time and she asked me to get her some. “O.K., Mom, I’ll go get you some at the commercial time,” I promised her. After awhile, Mom caught on and said to me, “Get your butt up and get down there and get me some popcorn and Milk Duds now!”

Mom loved to be a winner. Mom along with other women would cheat at the card game Clabbers by tapping her heart if she had lots of hearts, and then her partner would know what was in her hand, and would lead a heart!

Kathy’s Memories

One day Mom, a friend and I were busting down an old shed next to our garage. Mom bent over to pick up debris at the same time our friend was doing demo on the shed with a sledge hammer. Somehow he caught Mom on the forehead and dropped her flat! I called 911, and when the EMT men showed up, she was sitting on the back porch. When one man asked if she needed to go to the hospital, Mom said, “I don’t think so.”

“Well, can you stand up?” he asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” she said, but she stood up and immediately passed out! She was placed on a gurney and transferred to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a concussion.

Mom, was never afraid of anything. Nothing ever scared her. She was fearless. There was nothing she wouldn’t try, and I have grown up to be just like her. She would hunt and fish, drive through crowds of angry people in her way, and would ride a motorcycle without a helmet.

One time we were on a lake in a rowboat, when I saw a huge water snake heading toward us. I asked Mom to toss me the oar, and when she finally did, I used it to knock the snake senseless. When Mom told this story in church, she said that I swung the paddle like a baseball bat and knocked him out. Then we paddled away crazy before the snake came to and might try to jump in our boat with us!

The most important gift I received from my Mom was the ability to become a warrior when I needed to be. My Mom was a very proud Christian woman. She was never afraid because in the end, she already knew where she was going. No crying, no sorrow, no regrets. Today it is so natural for me to stand strong and to be a warrior myself. Thanks, Mom!

Scott’s Memories

One time, Mom and I rode a dirt bike from her house out to Aunt Mary’s. On the way back, the front sprocket came off, and I had to push the bike four miles home with Mom steering it.

Mom used to help me with the 5,000 newspapers on my rural 155 miles drop-off route riding shotgun starting at 1:00 am, and then after we got home five hours later at 6:00 a.m. we always went to church.

When I was 16, Mom drove me to the DMV to take the driving test to get my driver’s license. As soon as we got there, they discovered that Mom’s driver’s license had expired five years before, so she ended up having to take the test herself and renewing her license! I had to wait until the next day because Mom had to have her license for 24 hours before I could apply for one.

One time Mom and I went deer hunting and we were in the blind together, but Mom kept talking, and I told Mom to be quiet or she would scare the deer away. But she just kept on talking. Suddenly, a deer appeared and I shot it and dropped it, while Mom kept on talking!

Many years ago when Will and Mom were living in their mobile home, Mom saw a deer walking from across the street toward their driveway. “Look, Will, a deer! What should I do?”

He replied, “Get your gun and shoot it!” So Joyce grabbed her Colt 357 pistol, and stepped out on the back porch.

“Hey, deer!” She called out. The deer stopped in it tracks and turned to look at Joyce. Then she raised her pistol, aimed, and shot the deer. It took a few short steps before it dropped. Then they took the deer to the church and donated the meat to the other church members.