Joy Ann Duffel Toural

Joy Ann Duffel Toural passed away peacefully on July 18, 2022, in Baton Rouge, LA, two days shy of her 80th birthday, after bravely living with myelodysplasia for eight years. Born on July 20, 1942, in New Orleans, LA, she was the second daughter of the late Elsie Dufresne Duffel and Valery Leonard Duffel, Jr. Joy lived her life in Baton Rouge and graduated from Redemptorist High School in 1959. She attended Louisiana State University where she met Gilday Joseph Toural (1939-1989). They were married for 26 years until Gilday passed away.

Joy lived up to her first name and lived her life joyously to the fullest. She was passionate about decorating and helped many clients and friends create beautiful and comfortable homes. She was very generous to her family and friends and known and loved in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas. She loved traveling, especially with her dear friend of fifty years, Nancy Hammett. Joy and Gerald “Jerry” James Klender, Jr. fell in love and shared a special life together. In Jerry’s last four years of his life, Joy lovingly cared for Jerry in the home they built and shared together for 12 years. In her last two years of her life, after she retired, Joy enjoyed going to the movies, lunches, and shopping with Nancy, and special visits from her two-year-old great-great nephew, Wyatt. All of this brought happiness and laughter into her life.

Joy worked very hard steadily and successfully for fifty-eight years, many of those years working two jobs. Her career started in 1961 when she worked in Communications for the Baton Rouge Recreation and Parks Commission for three years. 1964-1968 she was the Manager of the Hat Department and was a Showroom Window Designer for the Silverstein’s Boutique, in Monroe, LA. 1968-1990 she was Co-Owner and Manager of Tigertown Pharmacy, Wear House Boutique, and a record shop. 1990-2008 she was in sales and management at Dillard’s for Estée Lauder where she was the top salesperson for 15 years out of 400 Dillard’s stores and won numerous sales contests and awards. 1998-2019 she was an interior designer for Stoma’s and Inspirations Furniture where she was top salesperson for 12 years.

Joy is survived by her sister, Peggy Marie Duffel Simmons and husband, David Earl; brother, Valery “Val” Leonard Duffel III; nieces, Stephanie Bell and husband, Bill, Karen Simmons, Bethany Hadelman and husband, Keith, and Lesley St. Germain; nephews, Christopher Simmons, and wife, Maria, and Val Duffel IV; great-nieces, Meghan Porter, Kathleen Wilkins and husband, John, and Bridget St. Germain; great-nephews, Owen, Egan, and Garrett Hadelman; step-great-niece, Maria Rodriguez and husband, Anthony; step-great-nephew, Rogelio Lamothe; cousins, Tommy Bennett, Anne Richard, and Mary Landry; several great-great nieces and nephews; and dear friends, Nancy Hammett and husband, John, and Renée Moody. Joy was preceded in death by her mother, Elsie Dufresne Duffel; father, Valery Duffel, Jr.; late husband, Gilday Toural; partner, Dr. Gerald Klender, Jr.; sister-in-law, Ann Wroten Duffel; aunts, Esther Duffel Reichert and Doris Duffel Bennett; nieces, Leigh Duffel-Brooks; great-nephew, Ian Brooks; and cousins Renny Colvin and Carl Reichert.

A special thank you to her niece, Stephanie, her nephew, Christopher, Nancy Hammatt, St. Joseph Hospice and all of the caring sitters from Serenity Private Care who helped care for her and make her last weeks comfortable. And a special thank you to her niece, Karen, for making many important arrangements. Another special thank you to close friends, Nancy and Renée for always keeping in touch with Joy, caring so much about her, and brightening her days and nights with phone calls. A private family inurnment was held on July 28, 2022. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Joy to the MDS (Myelodysplastic Disorder Syndrome) Foundation at www.mds-foundation.org, or donate blood at Our Lady of the Lake Blood Center, Baton Rouge, LA. Since Joy loved Christmas and decorating for the holiday season, she will be honored by the Ladies Leukemia League (www.ladiesleukemialeague.org) with a tree lighting ceremony on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, in the Grand Ballroom at the New Orleans Hilton Riverside Hotel, as requested by her sister, Peggy. A reception in memory of Joy will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. If you can attend, please send an email to Joy’s family for details to [email protected] or call 225-766-6734.