Joyce Marie Guevara

Born in Quincy, Illinois, in 1942, Joyce moved to Santa Barbara as a teenager, where she attended junior high school and later graduated from Santa Barbara High School. It was there that she met the love of her life, Bill Guevara. The two married in 1960 and shared nearly 50 years together before Bill's passing in 2010.

Although Joyce came from a small family, marriage brought her into the large and deeply rooted Guevara family of Santa Barbara. She cherished being part of such a close-knit extended family and especially enjoyed the many family barbecues, celebrations, and gatherings that became treasured traditions throughout her life.

In 1977, Joyce and Bill moved their family to Oxnard. While Joyce continued her career that she began at GTE in 1963, Joyce and Bill devoted themselves to raising their four children and later became deeply involved in the lives of their grandchildren.

One of the greatest expressions of their love was the time they spent helping raise three of their twelve grandchildren. They embraced the opportunity wholeheartedly. They attended sporting events, offering encouragement, and providing the steady guidance and support that helped shape the lives of all the Grandchildren they loved. Their grandchildren were a tremendous source of pride and joy, and Joyce's love for each of them was unwavering.

Joyce will be remembered for her spirited personality, her strength, and her fierce love for family. She is survived by her children: Bill Guevara Jr. (Tracy Guevara), Kari Garcia (Jerry Garcia), Margaret Apodaca, and Gina Guevara; her 12 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; and cousins, Sandy Guttridge and Tom Franks, along with their families.

While her family mourns her passing, they find comfort in knowing that Joyce has been reunited with Bill and the many family members and loved ones she missed so dearly. Her memory will live on in the stories shared around family tables, the traditions she loved, and the generations of family whose lives she touched.