Joy Johnson

Joy Yvonne James was born on January 5, 1944 to Edel Palmer and Egbert James, in the town of Rockland, St Elizabeth, Jamaica, WI, and later moved to live with her cousins, the Malcolm Family, in South Hampton, St. Elizabeth. Joy attended Mt. Osborn All Age School in St. Elizabeth and after passing the Common Entrance Exam, she was accepted to the University of the West Indies School of Nursing. In 1966, Joy graduated from the nursing program and began her career at the University Hospital at Mona in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1968, she migrated to Ontario, Canada where she was married to Ralston A. Johnson and started her family. Joy returned to Jamaica for a few years, and in 1983, she migrated to Baton Rouge, Louisiana with her children. She later divorced in 1991. In Louisiana, Joy worked at Woman’s Hospital for twenty two years, delivering hundreds of babies in that city. She loved caring for others and this was evidenced by her profession, monetary contributions, and the many, many miles she walked for the March of Dimes Foundation, an organization she supported for decades. Joy relocated to Conyers, Georgia in 2006 and worked for a year at Walton County Hospital, before officially retiring from nursing in 2007. However, her life became busier than ever upon retirement. She joined the Olivia Haydel Senior Center, and her schedule was that of a working woman! She immersed herself in many activities at the center such as volunteering and traveling with the group. She was loved and admired by many and in 2011, she was crowned Miss Rockdale County Senior Citizen Queen. Joy has been an active member of the Conyers Church of God, where she participated in numerous ministries and senior citizen activities. In 2007, she became a member of the cancer support group, Sisters by Choice, and in “the typical Joy way,” she became a faithful encourager to other women in the group. As a self-taught culinarian , Joy was the BEST at making Jamaican fruit cakes, Easter buns, and her coveted Gumbo. She enjoyed gardening and boasted the beautiful blooms from her rose bushes and other flowering plants which she always shared with friends and family. Joy died Sunday, January 20, 2013. Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 12 noon at Scot Ward's Green Meadow Chapel with Pastor Mark Hardgrove; interment will follow at Green Meadow Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the funeral home; the viewing will remain open until 9 p.m. Joy will be sadly missed and is survived by her sons, Kevin, Wayne, and daughter- in- law, Lisa; Sisters: Sonia, Dottie, Blossom; Like-a-Sister: Cousin Hope , Nancy, and Pat ; Brothers: Winston and Evon; Aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, god children, and a host of friends and acquaintances. Memorial contributions may be made to: Olivia Haydel Senior Center, 1240 Dogwood Dr., Conyers, GA 30012 or Sisters by Choice, Inc., 5910 Hillandale Drive, Suite 104, Lithonia, GA 30058. Scot Ward Funeral Services, 699 American Legion Rd., Conyers, GA 30012, 770-483-7216.

Joy Johnson

January 5, 1944 - January 20, 2013