Joyce Nevelle Hawkins

Joyce Nevelle Kitchin Hawkins was born in Whittier, NC on June 7, 1933, to parents William Paul and Eunice Kitchin. She attended Swain County High School until her senior year, when her parents moved to Candler, NC just west of Asheville. She went to Candler High School her senior year and was named valedictorian. Upon graduation, she worked as a bookkeeper for a popular flower shop for a while until she was offered a job with a prominent attorney in Asheville. She worked many years as a legal secretary until her husband was transferred to the Atlanta area. After settling into their new home in Georgia, she went to work for the Criminal Law Study Committee, a committee appointed by the legislature to revise the criminal code of Georgia. She stayed with this group until her children were born in the mid-sixties. She then resigned her job to be home with them. After they started school, she worked as a church secretary for Clifton United Methodist Church and Kelley’s Chapel U.M.C. until she retired.

Nevelle always had a special place in her heart for her church. Upon moving to Decatur, she was a member of Belvedere Methodist Church where she worked in the children’s department and with the women’s ministry for several years. Then she was a member of Mt. Carmel Christian Church for 46 years. She was a youth coach and later became involved in the women’s ministry, was a substitute teacher for her class and two others, made communion bread, and facilitated a weekly Women’s Bible Study for many years. She also sang in the choir and particularly enjoyed performing in the Living Christmas Tree program every year. Most recently, she joined Lilburn Christian Church in 2018 where she was also involved with various groups, including the choir and a weekly women’s Bible Study. She loved her church community, and they loved her back.

In addition to her fervent dedication to her faith, Nevelle was a lover of travel – especially with her late husband Troy; nature – which began on her family’s farm in NC and continued at her and her husband’s home in Hiawasee, GA; and birds – she always had an affinity for hummingbirds, but she recently found great joy in watching the new goslings outside the Sheridan hatch and mature over the course of last Spring and Summer with her daughter. Nevelle was also sports fan. When she was younger, she played basketball, was an avid water skier, square dancer, gardener and bowler. Her favorite sports team was the Atlanta Braves! She was most excited when they won the World Series. Nevelle took an immense amount of pride in spending time with her family, and always made it a point to bring her signature bread (a staple in her grandchildren’s favorite holiday memories) and homemade cards (which she taught herself calligraphy to create) to family gatherings.

She is survived by her daughter, Dena Hulsey, her granddaughter Emily Hulsey-Branum and her husband Jacob Hulsey-Branum, her daughter-in-law Tracy Hawkins and grandson Reid Hawkins.