Joyce Gail Beers

God brought Joyce Gail Whelden into this temporary world on July 24, 1939, in Cadillac, Mich. Her years spent in Booth Bay Harbor, Maine _ which she considers her childhood home _ led her to a love of the ocean, sailing, lobster and early aspirations of being a professional ice skater. That shaped her life in ways she did not imagine. Years later, she fell while ice skating in a park and a handsome young man named Richard Beers helped her back to her feet. After a one-year courtship, they were engaged. They eloped on May 15, 1959, in Boone, North Carolina, a marriage that stretched 59 years and was filled with love, laughter, children and rarely a dull moment.

Joyce left us on Oct. 21, 2018, in Jacksonville, Fla., in body, but not in spirit. William Wallace surely had Joyce in mind when he said that while all die, not all live. Joyce lived every second, every minute, every day of the 79 years, two months and 28 days that God allowed us to enjoy being around her.

She was born in Michigan and graduated high school in Ohio. Adventure was instilled in her heart from a trip to Yellowstone National Park when she was a girl. Her first boat in Maine was called, "No Name," because she couldn't think of a better name. She raised children in New Hampshire. She served tenants at the Welk Arms apartment complex in St. Petersburg. She touched 48 states, many of them in the passenger seat of the 18-wheeler her husband drove for J.B. Hunt. She loved life on their Rattlers' Ridge Ranch in Pottsville, Texas. She embraced the sea and sunshine of Jacksonville. Not to be overlooked was a trip with her sister to the Holy Lands. She was everywhere.

She studied theater with a minor in English Literature at Virginia Intermont College for Women, and the love of directing never left her. If the "Phantom of the Opera" was nearby, Joyce was in her seat. "A serendipity in my life," she once called it. Reading the old Elizabethian poets made her heart beat a little faster. Shakespeare lifted her. Old English fascinated her and drew her to write poems of her own.

No words were more relevant to her life than Scriptures. "Following God's word is what my life is all about, even when it puts me at odds with family, friends and current cultural beliefs," she once said. She could sing without carrying a tune because it came from the heart. And she passed on that faith and devotion to her four children, her 24 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Her idea of marriage was "to be best friends and leave each other room to do what each other enjoys." Richard was her best friend. Joyce had many friends. They knew her as Joyce, Jo, Sister-Sister, Mema, A.J., Capt’n Jo and Joyce G Beers for those on Facebook. "Relationships enrich lives," she used to say. Her wealth in that regard was astounding. Joyce and Richard celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Hawaii in the company of 32 friends and family. She called it a highlight of her life. "Enchanting, exhilarating, fantastic, a dream come true."

She took in the beauty God provides on the ocean landscapes of Maine, Florida, Hawaii and the Caribbean. She longed for the days of the “on the edge” sailing with her father, which brought so much joy. Happiness was a gentle wave lapping across her ankles on the beach or the sea breeze against her face on a Royal Caribbean cruise. "My soul is most at peace standing on the edge of the sea," she liked to say. And yet she could feel at home far away from water, on the ranch in Texas, at cattle auctions and rodeos under an endless Texas sky. Joyce loved nothing more than entertaining on the ranch, hosting the annual barbecue and talent show, and her cattle. She was excited for the bovine graft in her heart. Her ashes will be spread across the Texas soil.

No matter where she was, no day was complete without an afternoon tea. Nothing warmed her like lobster, whole-bellied fried clams, and chocolate cake for good measure. Coffee started her day, along with some POG juice while in Hawaii, and Dublin Dr. Pepper while in Texas. These are simple pleasures in a life that was full, a life powered by adrenaline and people, a life never idle. For years, she did not have a TV in the living room. That would take away from too much of what life had to offer.

Joyce leaves behind her husband, Richard and her children: Greg and Tanya Beers (Hughes Springs, Texas); Dana and Bill Fjeran (Greenville, S.C.); Stayce and Lindon Richardson (Wesley Chapel, Fla.), Tiffany and Doug Ferguson (Jacksonville), along with her loyal sister, Ruth Connell (Fryeburg, Maine), among immediate family. Her extended family was vast.

Joyce readjusted her goals from her early dreams of professional ice skating. What she wanted later in life was to watch her grandchildren marry (nine weddings), to visit Maine in the fall, and to spend eternity in Heaven. She achieved them all. No one who saw her zest and determination was surprised.

A celebration of her life will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at the San Jose Church of Christ, 6233 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, Fla., 32217.

Please Sign the guestbook at www.hardagegiddensoaklawnchapel.com

HARDAGE-GIDDENS, THE OAKLAWN CHAPEL, 4801 San Jose Blvd is serving the family