Joyce Lee Hayman, an empathetic nurse whose own suffering informed her professional work as a dedicated care giver, died March 25, 2021 at Florida Presbyterian Homes in Lakeland after a long illness. She was 75.
A proud graduate of Duke University, where she received her Bachelor’s and nursing degrees, she obtained her Master’s Degree in OBGYN nursing from the University of Florida.
After working for several years in Atlanta, Birmingham and Washington D.C., she received her PhD in patient education from Georgia State University, with a concentration in teaching patients how to live with and manage their diseases. All her post graduate degrees were financed through her own efforts.
During one of those programs, a tumor developed which was over-treated with radiation, leading to maladies that afflicted her during her entire adult life. She bore them with grace – and with the help of coping skills she taught her patients.
A Florida native, Joyce was born on June 20, 1945, raised in Winter Haven and graduated from Winter Haven High – where her natural compassion found root in school and church activities.
She is survived by her sister, Jane Cameron Hayman, and two cousins, Melinda Morris Coulter and Susan Cameron Morris. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday March 30th at 1:30 p.m. in the chapel of First Presbyterian Church in Winter Haven with graveside services to follow at Oak Lawn Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Duke University School of Nursing, 307 Trent Dr, Durham, NC 27710.
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