Joy Marie Soto

Joy Marie Pynckel‑Soto, 77, passed peacefully on April 8, 2026, in a hospice home in Tucson, Arizona. She was born to Gerard and Margret Pynckel and grew up in a close, stable family alongside her brother Gary and sisters Sandy and Dianna. Growing up in Moline, Illinois, she spent many of her formative years with close friends, sharing hopes and dreams for the future.

Joy’s life was all about people and keeping in touch with those she loved. A true people person, she loved to travel and was always reaching out by phone call or visit to see what friends and family were up to. She enjoyed being on the go, “grazing” through shops and malls, and just as easily lingering on the phone for hours, turning a quick hello into a long conversation filled with stories, laughter, and “just one more thing” she had to ask or share.

She especially loved traveling to visit family and friends wherever they lived. Her greatest joy was being together with her three adult children and their families, especially over the holidays when she shined. She enjoyed afternoons and evenings of dancing and karaoke and creating special memory books that captured their time together. Joy also proudly served seven years in the United States Air Force instilling a great sense of service and patriotism to those around her. Her faith in Jesus was very important to her, and she drew strength from it, looking forward without fear to the day she would be in her Heavenly home.

Surviving are her beloved children, Shawn (Diana), Angela (David), and Adam; grandchildren, Jerred, Noah, Isaiah, Jeremiah (Nicole), and Felicity; great‑grandchildren, Paris and Elliot; sister, Sandy (Jeff); and many loved nieces and nephews. Joy will be laid to rest at the Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Marana, Arizona, on June 1, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. A memorial service will be held at Elks Lodge No. 2592 in Green Valley, Arizona, on April 16, 2026.