Joyce Lee Hendrick

Joyce Lee Hendrick passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 22 at 12:21 p.m. Known to all as Mama Joyce or MJ, Joyce never met a stranger. Once she knew you, you were part of the family. Even in her final days, a nurse leaned in to help her up from the bed and told her, “Hug my shoulders like you love me.” Joyce immediately responded, “Oh I do love you, honey.” If you knew her, you knew she meant it.

The love of her life, Talmage Lewis Hendrick, preceded her in death on February 24, 2013. Her love for Lew never wavered or diminished. She often kept a framed picture of him in her purse so he would always be with her. And she loved to share stories of Lew with everyone she met.

Diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after that devastating loss, she could have given up. But Joyce was a fighter. She wasn’t about to leave her family. MJ recovered and lived a long and joyous life. She loved Derby, and Easter, and Christmas – always surrounded by family, friends and laughter.

Born in Bowling Green, July 18, 1938, the first of four daughters to Paul and Orene Keown. She is preceded in death by her parents, her older brother, Paul Keown, Jr. (Dot), two sisters, Wanda Harding and Doris Cummings. Joyce is survived by her younger sister, Joann Richards (Joe), daughters, Sharon Siegle (Dennis) and Vivian Hogan (Tim), her only son, Danny, Grandchildren, Andrew Siegle (Erin), Michael Siegle (Breanna), Riley Hogan and Emma Hogan, as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family.

An outstanding softball player in her younger years, Joyce was an avid sports fan. She was the ultimate homer, cheering for all Kentucky schools – UofL, UK, WKU and EKU. When people asked how she could cheer for all of them, she’d say, “Well, I’m from Kentucky. I want them all to win.”

Joyce graduated from Bristow High School in 1956 and married Lew a few months later in September of the same year. She was a proud member of the Daughters of American Revolution, a prestigious honor that she quietly held dear.

Joyce and Lew moved to Louisville and raised their family here. They also lived in South Bend, St. Louis and Rockford, Illinois, but they always knew they would return to Louisville. They came home to stay and settled in Prospect. She will be laid to rest next to Lew in the Derby section of Resthaven Memorial Park on Bardstown Road.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2026, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am at Arch L. Heady at Resthaven, 4400 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40218.

A Funeral Service will be on Saturday, March 28, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm held at Arch L. Heady at Resthaven, with burial to follow at Resthaven Memorial Park.