Joy was born May 5, 1932, to William B. Turnage and Ruby Seward Turnage, both deceased. She passed peacefully on October 16, 2024, at Senatobia Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Senatobia, Mississippi.
Raised in Collierville, Tennessee, Joy was an accomplished student and graduated from Collierville High School in 1950. A happy marriage of 52 years to Grady T. Harbor until his passing on May 23rd of 2004. Together Joy and Grady produced five children. They resided in Memphis, Germantown, and Eads in Tennessee over the years before retiring near Senatobia, Mississippi.
Joy Turnage Harbor's life was a testament to her unwavering belief in the power of kindness. She saw strangers as potential angels and gave everything she had until she had little left except her faith. Her acts of kindness left a profound and lasting impact on those she encountered, a legacy for which we are all grateful.
Joy's life was deeply rooted in a notable family history spanning centuries. Her family roots can be traced to Queen Margaret of France, King Edward of England, soldiers, and politicians. Tragedies shaped her early life when her only brother, Danny, was taken away by yellow fever as a child on Dec. 7, 1931. Her father passed away on November 24, 1937. Ruby, her mother, never remarried, guiding Joy through the decade of the 1940s, World War Il, and economic hardships. This rich family history, filled with triumphs and tragedies, is a part of Joy's legacy that connects her to her past and those who came before her and, in turn, to all of us.
She leaves two daughters, Joy H. Still (Steve) of Knoxville and Tammy H. O'Conner (Chris) of Sarah, Mississippi, and two sons, David Harbor of Atoka, Tennessee, and Tim Harbor (Prissy) of Hernando, Mississippi, and nine grandchildren. A daughter, Cindy H. Gutliph, preceded her in death.
Funeral services are scheduled for the 25th of October which is Joy and Grady’s wedding anniversary at 1pm at Reid Cemetery located at 11789 George R. James Rd in Eads, TN.
Those wishing to donate in honor of Joy, please consider donating to Reid Cemetery.
