Joyce M. Casey

September 5, 1938 – May 21, 2025

Chapin, SC — The world lost a sweet, spirited, and compassionate soul when Joyce Deloris Miller Casey, 86, passed away peacefully on May 21, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family. A celebration of her life will be held on Friday, June 20, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Chapin Christian Community Church, 415 Lexington Ave, Chapin, SC 29036. Family and friends are invited to gather and share memories immediately following the service.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Deloris Miriam Davis and Millard Fillmore Miller, and her sister Minnie Alice McMillan. She is survived by her beloved sister Mary Ann Ayers; her children John W. Casey II, Deloris E. Casey (John Chmelik), and Carolyn Ann Casey; nieces Debbie Beall (Gene), Lynn Moseley, and Julie Rosebrock; and her treasured grandchildren Forest F. Casey, JonMarion Casey, Ruby Casey Brown, and Flyn Nicholas Brown.

Born on September 5, 1938, in Orangeburg, SC, Joyce was raised on the family farm with her sisters, near Bethel United Methodist Church - a church built on land gifted by her great-grandfather. The family’s ties to the land and community ran deep, with annual visits to reunions and gravestones. She had a childhood woven with laughter under the shade of the pecan trees, climbing the old mulberry tree, watching for the fox under the steps while chasing fireflies late into summer nights.

She attended Columbia College before discovering her true passion in Cosmetology School. She quickly opened her own salon, ‘Styles by Joyce’. Known for her flaming auburn hair and magnetic personality, she poofed and styled her Shandon ladies with lots of flair, hairspray, and laughter!

She married John W. “Jack” Casey and they had three beautiful children, John W. Casey II, Deloris E. Casey and Carolyn Ann Casey. She was a proud Methodist but agreed to raise the kids in the Catholic Church so she quickly became the best ‘non Catholic’ St. Joseph’s choir member, PTO and cafeteria lady. She drove the field trips, taught arts and crafts, cut the game day oranges and of course, she was the loudest cheerleader at all of the soccer games! She was a proud mother and a favorite second mom to many, always ready with a ride, a snack, a kind word - or a pep talk. She was blessed with many lifelong friendships. Her walking group ladies, the "YaYa girls”, JJ was the founder of the Fancy Hat Ladies in Chapin, a group that gathered to play cards, volunteer, and bring joy to the community.

Joyce was a proud supporter of the family business, Jim Casey Fireworks, and never missed an opportunity to connect ~ whether on a plane, in the grocery line, or the parking lot. She really had ~ never met a stranger. Sometimes to her grandchildrens dismay, she would meet and greet, ‘let me introduce you to my kids or …my grandchildren from Colo-raduh or Michigan’. With every card she mailed, introduction she made, she made everyone feel seen and special.

A passionate advocate for the ‘little town of Chapin’, she founded and chaired the Chapin Historical Association, helping to place Chapin, SC on the National Register of Historic Places, securing grants and national recognition for the small town she loved so dearly. She was THE natural born ‘promoter’. Hollywood would have loved her but instead, she made her life on Lake Murray ~ facing the western sunsets that ‘only God can paint’.

She was a member of Chapin United Methodist Church, where she sang in the choir for over 35 years ~ as she had at St. Joseph’s Choir in Columbia. She sang and danced all of her life, her rhythms started on the boards of the old Atlantic House at Folly Beach and carried through to her days with the Columbia Shag Club.

Joyce was a professional artist and was passionate about painting the world in bright colors! Inspired by nature, she served as an Artist-in-Residence at SC State Parks and worked in Yellowstone, Glacier Bay National Parks, and YMCA of the Rockies. She developed her own vibrant style of impressionism. A member of the Crooked Creek Art League, she received numerous awards and accolades for her work, which reflected the energy, warmth, and color she brought to life itself.

She was the ultimate artistic firecracker, with vibrant colors of burnt orange, sunflower yellow and sparkling gold, lingering fades with crackling white stars ~ elegantly streaming across the hearts of those who knew and loved her dearly. Joy ~ was one of her names, she would say with a grin, “you can call me Joyce, Joy or JJ, just don’t forget to call me”. Until we meet again, she will walk beside us ~ with sand between our toes, in a song on the breeze, and in the warmth of a God’s sunsets. She was, and remains, pure light.