Joyce McMahan French

Joyce McMahan French was born on June 29, 1940, in Mathis, Texas, to Luther William and Marguerite Alberta McMahan. Joyce was one of six children. Joyce had three brothers, Morris Luther, John Thomas, and Jim Lee, and two sisters, Marian and Patricia, though only her sister Patricia and brother Jim Lee lived to adulthood.

Joyce spent her youth in the small Texas towns of Beeville, Kenedy, and Mathis. She was a proud graduate of A.C. Jones High School in Beeville, class of 1959, while in high school she was a member of the Rainbow Girls and achieved the highest rank of Worthy Advisor. Joyce married Lt. Ernest Milburn Colvin III. The young couple relocated to San Diego, California, to begin their life in the military community. Following the tragic loss of her husband, Lt. Colvin, during flight training maneuvers at sea only three years later, Joyce returned to her family in Texas.

In 1965, Joyce married the love of her life, Guy Booth French. Together, they shared over 60 years of marriage and welcomed three daughters: Ashley Renee, Stacey Michelle, and Leigh Page, and later adopted two sons: Michael Booth and Guy Anthony. Joyce found immense joy and pride in watching her children grow, and later her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who all called her “Grammy.”

When their children were young, Joyce and Guy were introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by their good friends Judy and Richard West they joined the church in 1975 and were later sealed together for time and all eternity in the Washington, D.C., Temple. Though her health struggles often kept her from attending church later in life, she always remained active in her testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and encouraged her children and grandchildren to serve missions for the church. While Joyce served faithfully in many capacities throughout her life, including in the church Relief Society and Young Women's organizations, she will likely be remembered most for her work as a genealogist.

Whether digging through courthouse basement files or poring over microfiche documents in a family history center, Joyce spent years meticulously building and verifying her family tree and helping others to do the same. As a proud 6th-generation Texan, she loved her Texan roots, as well as her Scottish heritage. She spent countless hours tracking down her ancestors, including Texas revolutionary Sion R. Bostick, who helped capture Santa Anna, and Mary, Queen of Scots. Joyce submitted the names of several thousand of her ancestors and relatives to Family Search for their temple ordinances to be completed.

Joyce traveled extensively around the globe with her pilot husband, Guy, living in Japan for a short while and in Saudi Arabia for over a decade while Guy flew for Saudi Arabian Airlines. Joyce loved experiencing different cultures and cuisines. She was known for making delicious meals such as gumbo, crab boils, and her famous fried pork chops. For several years, her cheesecakes were sold commercially at Bill Martin’s seafood restaurants.

Joyce was a craftsman and an artist, engaging in mediums such as stained glass, watercolor, clay sculpting, and woodworking. She built and maintained a woodworking business with her good friend Judy West for many years, providing hand-painted crafts and holiday decorations for expatriates in Saudi Arabia, where such items were not allowed to be imported. She loved listening to country music, including Dolly Parton, Anne Murray, the Dixie Chicks, and George Jones, but she also loved a broader range of music, including ABBA, Enya, Pink, and Celine Dion. Her fun disposition and quick wit made her the life of the party at every get-together, where she loved swapping stories and laughing with her friends and loved ones.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Morris Luther and John Thomas; her sisters, Marian and Patricia; her son, Mike; and her great-grandson, Atlas James. Joyce is survived by her loving husband, Guy; her brother, Jim Lee McMahan; her 4 remaining children: Ashley, Stacey, Page, and Tony; her 16 grandchildren: Ashton French, Ryan Allen, Josette Dowdy, Barrett Cooper, Cole Cooper, Austin Allen, Macae French-Allen, Bebe French-Allen, Jonathan Turner II, Kennedy Turner, Courtney Haller, Keryna Funk, Emory French Shoell, Benhem French, Talbot French, and Landry French, as well as 16 great-grandchildren, with 3 more on the way. She will be dearly missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew her.