Joyce Littleton McCarty Simmons was born February 9, 1929 in Yoakum Texas, to Jacob Littleton McCarty and Amanda Vera (Mercer) McCarty. She lived near Victoria, Texas until the age of 5 when she moved with her family to Houston. She attended school in the Houston Independent School District and was an excellent student. Frequently, she was called from her classes to teach younger students when their teacher was absent. She graduated from Jeff Davis High School and, although she didn’t attend, was accepted into Rice University.
While attending high school, Joyce met her husband, James Moody Simmons, when he offered to drive her home from a church social. When Jim proposed marriage, she thought he was joking and replied “Sure, why not”. That was the beginning of a lifetime together that lasted nearly 69 years, when Jim passed away in July 2016.
Joyce was a loving and caring wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. Joyce had two children, James Michael Simmons and Sharon Joyce Simmons Tymniak. She enjoyed staying at home and caring for her family and was very involved in school activities such as room mother and the PTA. When she began having grandchildren, she often volunteered to babysit and spent as much time as possible with them. She loved family get-togethers and always was glad to welcome family. She joked that their house was like “Grand Central Station” and the door was always open to family and friends.
Joyce loved to travel and often said that her middle name was “go”. Jim traveled often through work and Joyce went with him as often as she could. When Jim retired, they traveled frequently to Colorado where they purchased a vacation condo. They learned to ski and spent many hours on the slopes with family and friends. During the summers, they would often take their grandsons to Colorado for several weeks, allowing them to enjoy the freedom and beautiful scenery of Colorado.
Joyce was an excellent artist. She excelled in oil paintings, portrait and landscapes and studied under several world known artists, such as Lajos Marcos, whose work hangs in the state capital. She also taught painting.
In her later years she became interested in her family tree and history and spent more than twenty years devoted to that task.
Joyce was also very active in the church. She attended Baptist Temple Baptist Church for over 50 years and was well known and respected. For many years she taught a Ladies Bible class. She was a fine Christian, loved and admired by all who knew her.
Joyce Littleton (McCarty) Simmons went to join her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on January 26, 2022. She is preceded in death by her parents, Jacob L. McCarty and Vera Amanda McCarty, her brother Douglas L. McCarty, sister-in-law Vesta Lee McCarty, and her husband of almost 69 years, James Moody Simmons. She is survived by her son, James Michael Simmons, her daughter, Sharon Tymniak and her husband Mark, by Grandsons James Mark Simmons, Michael James Tymniak and wife Irina, Nicholas Tymniak, Alan Simmons and wife Natali, and Great grandchildren Katherine and Olivia Simmons, and Nathaniel and Miles Tymniak.
Visitation will be held at Heights Funeral Home on Thursday, February 3, 2022 during the hours of 5:00 to 7:00 and the funeral will be Friday, February 4, 2022 at 2:00. Interment will be at the Memorial Oaks Cemetery.
