In Memory of Joy

I wrote the thoughts below after I found out my sweet Aunt Joy passed away today about 2:30 p.m. The picture above is a picture of my aunts, Joy and Janet at my wedding reception.

I just found out my Aunt Joy passed away. It's somewhat bittersweet because while I feel she was still young at the age of 61, she is now relieved from the mental illness she suffered with for most of her life. Joy was diagnosed with schizophrenia before the age of twenty.

I have so many fond memories of her. As a little girl my cousin and I would go to Joy's apartment and spend the night with her. She had a bed in her room filled with stuffed animals as well as a day bed in the living room full of them. I loved going to Joy's house and playing with all of her toys!

She was always so generous and kind to others. When I would spend the night at her house sometimes we would go to a rest home the next day and sing to the lonely people staying there. Joy loved to sing and play the piano and I really enjoyed going and singing with her at the rest home!

Joy always thought of others. She did not have much but always offered to give me and others her things. She gave me some of her clothes and jewelry when she first moved to Utah. Even the last time I saw her at Christmas she tried to give away some of her hair clips to me.

Joy loved food! (So do I, so we shared that in common) She was always happy when you made a treat for her or gave her candy! She loved a good home made meal or to go out for a burger and shake.

I'm glad I was able to live near Joy for a little while near the end of her life. I'm sad I did not get to be around her much the last year and a half because I was in Alabama. I loved the times I was able to go visit her and take her out to get an ice cream and French fries or just stop by and chat with her. She lit up every time I came to see her.

When she moved to Utah I gave her a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal and she just loved it! She had lost a bunch of her stuffed animals in her move but by the end of her life she had another collection of them.

Joy also loved animals. She really enjoyed playing with cats and dogs! Some of her favorite movies were about animals, like Babe the Pig and Milo and Otis. She also liked Disney movies. She loved it when we would bring our dog Celine with us to visit her. It brightened her day. She loved to let the dog lick all over her face, it was a little gross, but it made her happy and in turn made us happy too.

She was so happy for me when Pete and I were getting married. We showed her some of my bridal pictures and she said over and over again what a beautiful bride I was. She was excited that we sent her an invitation to our wedding. When we visited her at Christmas she had our wedding announcement still hanging in her room.

The best thing about her was her laugh! It was easy to make her laugh and her laugh was contagious.

She really could not have had a more fitting name than Joy! She was truly a great Joy to be around!

She missed my Grandma and Grandpa and I know she is with them now and very happy. She will be greatly missed. I am thankful for all the sweet memories she left me with and I look forward to seeing her again some day.