Joyce W. Woodridge

Joyce was born in Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, on November 3, 1935, to Rosalind Pena and McDonald Williams. She came to the United States under the care of Constance Williams in 1948 with her two brothers, Rudolph and Fitz Williams, all deceased. She lived in the Greenwich Village area of New York City and attended Baruch College in New York, NY where she gained her associate degree in accounting and bookkeeping. Joyce then worked at the Brooklyn Navy Yard as an administrative secretary and in 1957 and married her late husband, Charles Woodridge.

During her early married years, she lived in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, NY and a few years after her children were born, became a full-time homemaker. When her two children completed grade school, she returned to work part-time at St. Catherine of Genoa Catholic school with the Sunday school program. She later worked full-time as a school secretary and after-school program facilitator for several years before retiring in 2003 and moving to Baltimore, MD. Her service to the community continued through volunteer work at the St Cecilia parish office and soup kitchen.

Joyce enjoyed Broadway shows, traveling, movies and spending time with her grandson, Bryan. She most looked forward to spending time with family and friends over a good meal during the holidays.

She is survived by her two daughters, Elayne L. Jackson and Evon Woodridge; grandson Bryan A. Jackson; siblings, Joan Williams, Janeth Daniel, Germaine Mendoza, Luna and Clarence Williams; many nieces, nephews, and close friends who will all miss her dearly.

A visitation for Joyce will be held Friday, December 29, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM at Schimunek Funeral Home, 610 W MacPhail Rd, Bel Air, MD 21014, followed by a funeral service from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM. Private interment in Garrison Forest Veterans Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Greater Maryland Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.