Joyce Carolyn Dyer-Hackett

Joyce Carolyn Dyer-Hackett was born in Oakland, California February 5, 1944 to O’Neal David Dyer, Sr. and Margaret Louise Sims. Joyce was preceded in death by her aforementioned parents, two older sisters, Marva Dyer-Foster & Ollie Dyer-Francis, younger brother O’Neal David Dyer, Jr., eldest nephew Keith Darnell Foster, and granddaughter Kimberly Lacey Watson. Joyce accepted Jesus as her personal savior at an early age and was an active member of Beebe Memorial until the late 1990’s. Joyce attended McClymonds High School and was very active in dance and cheerleading. While in High School she met and married Oakland Tech track star Alex Joseph Hence III. To this union they had two children Naru Kwina (formerly known as Alex Joseph Hence IV) and wife Jora Trang and their daughter Najorae of Oakland, CA and Alana Joyce Gambrell of Bullhead City, AZ. She went on to later have a third child Armond Edward Dorsey of Los Angeles, CA with Edward Dorsey of Lathrop, CA. She would later marry Melvin Hackett in 1992 and develop an extra special bond with his son also named Melvin and his wife Cecelia (Cookie) of Modesto, CA. The couple remained happily married until Melvin’s death in 2017 where the couple lived in Manteca, CA.

Joyce held many jobs which were always dedicated to public service and education. She often held two jobs while working as a single parent and often passing along her work ethic on to her children and getting them involved in her various places of business. Her children were blessed long before their initial education with tasks such as balancing a check book, interpersonal skills with the public, proper business etiquette for answering phones, and filing paperwork, to utilizing with ease a typewriter, electronic calculators, and complex phone systems with multiple lines and coded transfers. Joyce worked for organizations throughout Alameda County from the Oakland Public School System, Childcare Services, Phone Companies, Alameda County Clerk and finally retirement as an Eligibility Technician for Alameda County in Oakland, CA after more than 20 years of service.

In life Joyce continued being of service to her family, friends, and loved ones. As a member of the Mattie E Coleman Circle at Beebe Memorial CME she spearheaded a program to help people of the community to leverage resources within the community. She would also help to educate people in working with finances and building budgets. There were times she would take in people in need and would make room for anyone in dire need when they may experience temporary homelessness or just in need of shelter. She was a huge advocate of being the information station for her children, her nieces, and nephews, her cousins first and beyond and all of their friends. Her home was usually the hub of family gatherings after holidays and reunions. She loved dancing, entertaining, and having good food- all traits she passed along to her children.

In retirement these trends continued and even after raising her own children her and Melvin raised two of their teenaged granddaughters Kayla Fitzpatrick and Britney Fitzpatrick-Williams both of Atlanta, GA . Building a special bond and kinship and in a sense becoming so much more than a grandmother - but a special confidant, friend and bonus mother. There was never any need of any distinction we were all family- In the Joyce home there were never halves or step, all of her children were full brothers and sisters and even the siblings of her youngest were an extension of that as well- everyone was counted equally. Melvin’s children were her children and as a result her grand and great grand children alike. A relationship that extended even after losing Melvin. She kept in contact with her sister in law Johnnie Mae and maintained being auntie to her children. She also continued having a very special relationship with her other grandchildren Shomari Ashley of Henderson, NV, Sade Hackett-Johnson and husband Anthony of Atmore, AL, Melvin Hackett III of Modesto, CA, Chanel Hackett-Merritt-Lee and husband Miles of Plantation, FL, Matthew Hackett of Santa Monica, CA, Cecelia (CeCe) Hackett, Justin Hackett, Adrian Hackett, and Adriana Hackett all of Modesto, CA, including but not limited to the aforementioned Kayla, Brittany, and Sade along with their children who would visit and spend time having overnights in Bullhead City.

Joyce was a huge sports fan and often held season tickets to the Oakland Raiders and the Golden State Warriors. Her screams could clearly be heard from any room as she shared her exuberance with a great play. She enjoyed the Olympics and even went to the games when they were held in Atlanta Georgia in 1996. She also enjoyed watching her reality television shows with her two youngest like Love After Lock-Up, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and her new found favorite the 90 Day Fiancé Franchise. There was an infectiousness to Joyce that will always be treasured and remembered. She never forgot a birthday and you could always count on that call. She enjoyed her friends and would have an infectious laugh that you could not help but join in on the fun. Food was a staple steeped in love and a table that was open. She loved music and dancing on a typical Saturday music would be blaring, drinks flowing, something would be simmering in a pot and the household would be arms deep in cleaning. She leaves to mourn her three children, numerous nieces and nephews, one aunts, a slew of bonus children, godchildren, grandchildren, and great grandchildren -natural, inherited, adopted, or otherwise claimed and a host of cousins and friends.