On June 21, 2024, Joyce Patterson, loving wife, mother, and grandmother, experienced her eternal homecoming at the age of 78.
Joyce was born on June 11, 1946, in Covina, California. The youngest of 4 children by several years, she grew up surrounded by many nieces and nephews from a young age. Joyce met her husband Richard Patterson in 1970, and they married in 1971. Together they raised 3 daughters, Tasha, Lisa, and Jessica. She loved being a homemaker and working in the floral industry. Early in her career she worked as a designer in a flower shop, and later spent nearly 20 years as a floral design instructor in Orange County. She remained in Covina until 2009 when she and Richard retired in Sevierville, Tennessee with their extended family.
Her retirement years were filled with family and friends. Upon arriving in Tennessee, she and Richard found a church home at Seymour Heights Christian Church, where she served in several different ministries. She cherished the many special friendships she was blessed with through Seymour Heights. As life slowed down in the retirement years, Joyce made room for some new hobbies – specifically reading and quilting. She made custom quilts for all of her family members in her final years, and even passed on the quilting skills to a couple of her grandchildren.
Her grandchildren were her greatest delight. After relocating to Tennessee, she felt blessed to have all 5 of them living nearby and they spent time together regularly. She was intentional to show interest in the things that mattered to them individually – making their favorite meals or desserts, doing special projects together, attending their events, and always celebrating special occasions.
Joyce had a deep appreciation for the beauty to be found in God’s world. She treasured the landscape of her home state from the majestic redwoods to the splendor of the California coastline, and was always up for a scenic car ride. She found tremendous pleasure in the simplicity of a vase of fresh-cut flowers, a delicious tasting treat, a new store or quaint town to explore, decorating her home and showing hospitality to others. She took pleasure in making things beautiful.
Joyce is preceded in death by her parents, Melvin and Mary Armstrong, and siblings Russell, Dorothy, and James. She will be dearly missed by her husband Richard Patterson, daughters Tasha (Mike) Brown, Lisa Patterson, Jessica (James) Fall, bonus daughter Christine (David) Chabolla, grandchildren Kassondra Patterson, Ian Pitsenbarger, Reyna Patterson, Ethan Fall, Hayden Fall, and a special group of extended nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life service will be held at Seymour Heights Christian Church, in Seymour, Tennessee, on Saturday, July 6 at 2pm ET with a brief refreshment reception afterward. Joyce loved feeding people and brightening the world with flowers. In lieu of service flowers, please consider making a donation to The Love Kitchen (Knoxville, TN) or Random Acts of Flowers (Knoxville).