Joy Winter

Joy Winter (born Oct 25th, 1942 in Pendleton, Oregon) passed away in Temecula, California on

December 26th 2019 at exactly 1:00am.

Joy was the daughter of Samuel George Roy Daniels, born in Belfast, Ireland, and of Odessa

Alice Tarr Daniels, born in Walcott, North Dakota. She married John Williams in 1960. Sons,

Thane Anthony and Stuart Alan Williams were born to that marriage. She later married Frank

Counsel Winter (1969) who brought three children from a previous marriage: Michael, Peter,

and Elizabeth Winter. They blended their families. Heather Noelle and Samuel Counsel Winter

were born to their marriage.

Joy is predeceased by both spouses and her stepson, Peter Winter. She is survived by Thane

Anthony Williams, Stuart Alan Williams, Heather Noelle Winter McIntosh, Samuel Counsel Winter,

Michael Winter, Elizabeth Winter, and by 12 grandchildren, one great granddaughter, 4

step grandchildren, and 9 step great grandchildren, and 2 step great great grandchildren. She

is also survived by her three brothers, Samuel George Daniels, William Roy Daniels, and Timothy

Ward Daniels.

It would be impossible to describe how many lives Joy touched because she spent most of her

life in the service of others. Her earliest memories were of the satisfaction of assisting her

mother on nursing visits. She was initiated into Job’s Daughters as a youth and dedicated herself

to learn leadership through virtue, service and bible memorization. She was athletic, and

a diver for her high school in Merced, California. In 1963, Joy earned an AA in Nursing from

St. Luke’s Nursing School in San Francisco, California where her mother had also attended.

She worked in the neonatal Intensive care unit, until she became an operating room nurse at

Stanford University Hospital. In 1975, she and Frank Counsel moved their family to Botswana,

Africa where she supported Frank as he set up ophthalmology for the Ministry of Health in the

newly independent nation. They returned to La Jolla, California, to care for her mother in

law, Evelyn Clare McGowin Winter Phillips, in 1979. In 1983 she co-founded Christian Eye Ministry

with Frank Counsel, which started missionary eye clinics in west Africa and Hondurus

with the vision of them being self-sufficient. The clinics are now self-sufficient to this day,

and Christian Eye Ministry sends volunteer ophthalmologists to support local clinics’ endeavors.

She devoted herself to prayer and service for 39 years through the Daughters of the King,

a volunteer auxiliary of the Episcopal church. She also ministered through St. Luke’s healing

ministry. The American Society of Ophthalmic Registered Nurses (ASORN) awarded her for her

research, which was published in the journal of ASORN in the late 1990s. Her research affected

cataract surgery technique to improve success rate of patient outcomes. In 2007, she

earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing while getting certified as an Urban Chaplain through

Bethel seminary. She served Burmese and Sudanese refugees in San Diego. The effects of

her professional accomplishments are dwarfed by those of her interpersonal relationships. She

helped people walk with Christ. Her sponsorship of less fortunate friends has amplified their

effectiveness for good.

Joy was quick to smile and laugh. She had a beautiful singing voice, played the piano, and

sewed. She had a great sense of style, compassion, an adventurous spirit, and tenacity. She

loved Jesus Christ, and loved learning to follow His Holy Spirit. She delighted in constant,

secret, good works, generosity, and practical problem solving. She was also a patriot, a

wildlife conservationist, and a world traveler. Her positive attitude in the face of challenges

was inspiring. She was admired, consulted and deeply loved. There aren’t enough words.

We will miss her greatly!