Dr. Joyce Butler Thompson

Dr. Joyce Mae Butler Thompson drew her last breath at dawn on the 23rd of July, 2022, in her 99th year. A faithful Christian as well as a loving wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend, she ran the race laid out for her and finished well.

A fifth-generation Texan, Joyce grew up in the heart of East Texas, the only daughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. C.W. Butler, Jr., who built, owned, and for decades operated The Butler Hospital in Crockett, Texas. Born in Memphis, Tennessee on December 30, 1923, while her father was in medical school, Joyce was drawn to the marvels of medical science at a young age. From childhood she dreamed of becoming a doctor. Growing up on the hospital grounds, Joyce and her brother (the late Dr. Charles Frank Butler, Sr.) saw firsthand the challenges, demands, and rewards of the medical profession. Fascinated with the medical technology of the day, Joyce learned to work the newest equipment, read x-rays, and assemble surgical instruments. She would watch her father and his colleagues operate on patients. As Joyce got older, she assisted in surgeries, helped out in the emergency room, and accompanied her father on medical calls. Joyce desperately wanted to follow her father and brother into the medical profession, but the elder Dr. Butler, in keeping with the views of many of his generation, did not support the idea. Even so, he saw Joyce’s brilliance and encouraged her to further her education.

A gifted student with a keen intellect, young Joyce excelled in academics and developed what would become a lifelong passion for the study of science and mathematics. After graduating from Crockett High School at age 16, she attended The University of Texas at Austin, where she lived in the Scottish Rite Dormitory. Joyce pledged Chi Omega and was initiated into the Iota Chapter. A natural beauty and popular co-ed, she was selected Sigma Chi Sweetheart.

Joyce earned a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology, chemistry, and mathematics. After graduation she accepted a teaching position in Austin while pursuing her master’s degree in genetics, which she received from The University of Texas in 1950.

Joyce married World War II Navy veteran Reuel Thompson, Jr. of Lufkin, Texas, on the 21st of June, 1953. Wed in Austin, the couple made their home in Houston, where they joined First Presbyterian Church and reared three daughters—Jill, Kem, and Pam. Joyce later would become a Deacon and then an Elder of First Presbyterian Church. She loved her church family and took part in retreats, prayer groups, Bible studies, women’s circles, and Sunday school classes for nearly seven decades.

With an insatiable appetite for knowledge and an enduring love of learning, Joyce maintained strong ties to academia throughout her life. At a time when women seldom pursued careers in science and were rarely seen in laboratories or on university faculties, Joyce became a respected research scientist and educator who blazed new trails for women in the field.

As a young professional and working mother, she participated in grant programs and summer course studies at Stanford University, Michigan State University, Colorado State University, University of North Carolina, University of New Mexico, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and Rice University. Joyce treasured these summers as her daughters would travel with her to the campuses and at the end of the term, Reuel would join them for a family vacation in the area.

In 1970, Joyce enrolled in post-graduate studies at The University of Houston to pursue a doctorate in biochemistry and biophysics. After completing her dissertation on molecular evolution, she received her Ph.D in 1974. Her doctoral research included extensive work on the equilibrium constants in brain enzymes and the role of amino acids in living systems. She became a frequent lecturer on these subjects.

Over the course of her career, Joyce taught classes in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology at the university level and neuroscience at the medical-school level. She helped educate thousands of students at The University of Texas, Texas Women’s University, Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Houston, The University of Texas Health Science Center, and Texas A&M University System. For many years, she served as the Director of Mathematics and Sciences for the Davis Study Institute of Biophysical Sciences. Recognized by both peers and students as an exceptional teacher, Joyce received many prestigious teaching honors, including the Danforth Foundation Award for Excellence in University Teaching and National Science Foundation University-College Science Faculty Awards in chemistry, radiation biology, physics, genetics, and biomedical sciences.

Joyce broke glass ceilings long before that term became part of the American lexicon. Finding her way in a male-dominated field, she forged new paths for women in science, making the climb easier for the ones who would come behind her. Courageous and principled, Joyce was never one to shrink from challenges or sit in silence when circumstances called for action. She looked to her mother, Allie Maude Sells Butler — her beloved all-time heroine―as her model for both strength and humility.

Joyce held leadership positions in a number of prominent professional organizations, serving as president of the Texas chapter of the American Institute of Chemists, president of the regional chapter of the American Chemical Society, and president of Iota Sigma Pi National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry. Over the course of her professional life, Joyce participated in dozens of scientific conferences and symposiums all over the world. She authored many scholarly works and also served on writing teams that created science textbooks for Texas high school and college courses. She co-authored the genetics sections of several scientific texts and served as a contributing author for a number of other scientific publications. At various times, she served as Editor of Neptunium Chemistry News and Science Forum.

Joyce received many honors and awards for her academic and professional accomplishments, including inductions into Beta Beta Beta (National Biological Honor Society), Iota Sigma Pi (National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry), Phi Sigma (National Biological Sciences Honor Society), and Sigma Xi (National Scientific Research Honor Society). She was a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Chemists. She held memberships in MENSA, American Association of University Women, American Physics Society, American Women in Science, Association for Women in Science, National Association of Biology Teachers, Biophysical Society, International Society for the Study of the Origins of Life, Science Forum of the New York Academy of Sciences, and other professional groups. In 1986, she received the American Chemical Society Southeast Texas Section Award. In 1990, the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Association for Women in Science honored her as one of the year’s “Outstanding Women in Science.”

Joyce also filled leadership roles in community, religious, charitable, and civic organizations, serving as President of the Southgate Civic Club and in various roles in First Presbyterian Church and Chi Omega alumni organizations. Her volunteer service took many forms and spanned decades. In 2005, Joyce was among Chi Omega Alumni Association’s “Women of Achievement” honorees. A grandmother of eleven, Joyce was inducted into the “Grandparents Hall of Fame” in 2004, an honor bestowed by the National Grandparents Day Council. In 2005, then-Governor Rick Perry recognized Joyce for her achievements.

Long after her retirement, Joyce remained engaged in science and academia. As a researcher, author, and educator, she served as a valued mentor to many. When grandchildren came on the scene, Joyce, ever the teacher, could be heard casually explaining to the youngsters the science behind boiling water, why condensation forms, and how each of the parts of an atom functions. She once used a toddler’s toy with a double helix to show how DNA works.

A woman of extraordinary drive and energy, Joyce lived life to the fullest. Her most distinctive quality was her perseverance, a dogged determination that enabled her to push past broken dreams and closed doors, carried her through family crises and professional challenges, and empowered her to keep going and growing. She tapped into the same grit in fighting for others. Always a champion of the underdog, she had the heart of an advocate and a can-do spirit, especially when it came to helping those who have been called “the least of these.” Compassionate to the core, Joyce lived her faith.

An encourager with high expectations, Joyce had a knack for building people up and pushing them to reach their potential. And, when they did, everyone heard her applause. Joyce loved putting other people in the limelight, celebrating their victories, and toasting their successes. A lifelong cheerleader for her children and grandchildren, she seemed to find greater joy in their accomplishments than in her own.

Like the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31, Joyce lived her life with purpose. She had a grateful heart, a true appreciation for family, church, and friends, and a deep love of God and country. Patriotic music often moved her to tears. Joyce and her late husband Reuel, who was laid to rest on what would have been their 45th wedding anniversary, always took great pride in their three daughters and cherished their daughters’ husbands, whom they loved as sons.

In the early 2000s, Joyce went to live at the home of her eldest daughter Jill and son-in-law Bruce Zivley. For more than two decades Joyce relished being a member of the Zivley household and frequently expressed her deep gratitude for the Zivley family’s many years of devoted care and support.

Joyce and her cousin Bobby Dykes (and his wife Betsey) grew up together and grew old together. The nonagenarians shared a lifelong friendship, one that buoyed Joyce’s spirits through her final days.

Years ago, Joyce chose “Dynamic Equilibrium” as the epitaph for the headstone on her grave. In chemistry and physics, the term refers to a state of balance and stability. At the point of dynamic equilibrium, it may look like nothing is happening but reactions occur continuously―a seemingly steady but actually changing state. A system operating in dynamic equilibrium yields a level of tension between opposing forces that is healthy, intentional, and designed to achieve maximum results. Whether a metaphor for Joyce’s life and aspirations or a manifestation of her playful spirit (even in death, she’s got us thinking about science), or both, the distinctive epitaph stands as a reflective final bow from one of a kind.

Joyce is survived by her three daughters and sons-in-law, Jill Thompson Zivley and Bruce Campbell Zivley, Kem Thompson Frost and Frederick Allen Frost, and Pam Thompson O’Meara and Kevin Leo O’Meara, Sr.; eleven grandchildren, Natalie Zivley Davis and her husband Stephen William Davis, Caroline Zivley Rahmn and her husband Michael R. Rahmn, John Thompson Zivley and his wife Rebecca Serrata Zivley, Jill Butler Zivley, Reuel Thompson Frost, Frederick Hazard Frost II, Stephen Frost, Jonathan Frost, Margaret Madeline O’Meara, Kelly Thompson O’Meara, and Kevin Leo O’Meara, Jr.; six great-grandchildren, Hudson Walter Davis, Hunter Ellis Davis, Catherine Mae Rahmn, Matthew Campbell Rahmn, Jane Elizabeth Zivley, and Thompson Walter Zivley; sister-in-law LaVerne Thompson Bean, and a host of nieces and nephews, including her late brother’s children, Dr. Charles Frank Butler, Jr. and his wife Jane Butler, and their daughters Sarah Jacks, Susan Butler, and Catherine Bohnet; Barbara Butler, and Jonathan Butler, and their families.

Joyce’s family gives heartfelt thanks to Ernestine Ayres, Zella Harris, Hilary Lee, Rita Long, Ann Nosworthy, and Charlene Stubblefield, who served as faithful, loving caregivers and companions for Joyce during her last years and to Ramona Brister and Lisa Marquez of Hospice PLUS, who gave exceptional medical care and comfort to Joyce in recent months.

Joyce’s body has been cremated according to her wishes. The ashes are to be buried alongside her late husband Reuel’s grave at Old Center Cemetery near Huntington, Texas, where Thompson family ancestors have found final resting places since the Civil War era. A memorial service celebrating Joyce’s life is to be conducted at eleven o’clock in the morning on Friday, the 5th of August, at First Presbyterian Church, 5300 South Main Street in Houston, where Rev. Dr. Jim Birchfield is to officiate. (Those unable to attend may watch the live-streaming by visiting her online memorial tribute at GeoHLewis.com and selecting the “Join Livestream” icon in the “Services” section.) Immediately following the service, all are invited to greet the family during a reception in the nearby Fellowship Hall.

Joyce loved to support Christian ministries and missions. For those who may wish to honor Joyce’s memory with a donation in lieu of customary remembrances, information may be found at Giving @ FPC - FPC Houston or through the charity of your choosing.