Joyce Laytar Houck

It is with a heavy heart, we announce the passing of Joyce Houck who left us peacefully after a short illness on Tuesday, April 29 at the age of 82. She was the loving heart of our family whose kindness, generosity and strength shaped us all.

Joyce was born on July 24, 1942 in Berwick, PA to Mary Koloni Laytar and George Michael Laytar. Joyce grew up in Berwick and graduated from Berwick High School in the class of 1960. She loved to read and was a frequent visitor to the Berwick library where she read many books including all the Nancy Drew books. She was a good student and helped many of her fellow high school students.

Following high school, she attended Pennsylvania State University and graduated with a degree in finance in 1964. After graduation, she flew to Palo Alto CA to join her fiancé Bill. She and Bill were married in California and had their two children there. She lived in California until 1968 when the family moved to Raleigh NC with Bill’s IBM transfer. Joyce was the instigator of the transfer so they could be closer to their family in Pennsylvania.

Joyce was always very busy and involved in Raleigh life. She made the major decision on picking the house that the family has lived in for years. She also has had several part time jobs in local businesses like Ivey's department store, Bernina World of Sewing, Past and Presents Christmas store, and the NC State University finance department. She enjoyed sewing and at the Bernina store she taught some classes. At Past and Presents she had a fondness for the department 56 Christmas collectibles and made sure that all family members received a supply of the collectibles.

But her most important job was raising her children and always being there to take care of them and support them through their younger school years, high school years, college years and on. She was very influential in encouraging their interest in their education and musical skills. She made many trips to NC State and UNC during their college years whenever they needed anything.

Over the years she developed an interest in house plants and spent many hours taking care of her collection of plants. She enjoyed watching them grow and develop new leaves and flowers and arranging them to get the proper amount of sun and shade.

Joyce was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She is survived by her husband of 60 years William Houck, her son David (Lori) Houck, daughter Vicki (Charles Gemereth) Houck and grandchildren William Houck, Lily Houck, Hannah Worley and Mary Worley.

Family and friends will remember Joyce’s attention to detail. Her knitting and sewing projects were beautiful and she was happy to share her talents with family in the form of gorgeous sweaters, colorful washcloths and lessons for those who wanted to learn.

No Christmas was complete without the “Houck” Christmas tree cookie. Those cookies were coveted by anyone lucky enough to receive them. In years passed, Joyce made them by the hundreds, and it gave her great happiness to share them.

More recently, Joyce enjoyed cultivating house plants and flowers. Some of her last days were spent happily planting flowers with her family. She had just purchased the plants for putting around the house and had spent her last two days helping to put them in the pots and planters. She had commented about how much fun she had those two days planting with all of us.

There will be a visitation time on Saturday May 3rd, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM and the funeral will be held at 2:00 PM, both at the Brown-Wynne Funeral home at 1701 E. Millbrook Road Raleigh, NC 27609. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Joyce's name to St Jude Hospital