Joyce Marie Quinn Myers, 80, of Liberty, Tennessee went on to be with the Lord on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. She was born in Estill Springs, Tennessee on Saturday, November 28, 1942. Preceding her in death were her parents, William Frank and Edna Lillian Seal Quinn, II; and her children, Dwight Edward Coe and Suzanne Marie Coe.
She is survived by her husband of 45 years, L.B. Myers, Jr. of Liberty; her grandchildren, David (Melyssa Lauer) Taylor and Jamie Taylor; their half-brother, Ken Berner; her great grandchildren; Branton Hawkins, Breighlyn Taylor, Bentleigh Taylor, Briahna Taylor, Jaylnn Taylor, Jordan Taylor, and Keeali Taylor; her brother, William Frank (Kim) Quinn, III of Fort Wayne, IN; her sisters, Brenda (Leroy) Bradbury, Shirley (John) Bratten, both of Morrison, and Nita Quinn (Melvin) Owen of Readyville; several nieces, nephews, and their families; and many friends and Bible study group members.
Joyce must have been born running, or at least walking, because she always managed to have something going. Throughout her life, family and faith took precedence over anything else, especially when the family moved from Tennessee to Indiana. Moving to work and provide for the family, Mr. Quinn took a job working in the steel mills out in Gary, Indiana. With such a drastic change in scenery and life, the children quickly learned to lean on one another.
On their first day of school, Joyce and Brenda walked hand-in-hand, and that became the comforting habit each day thereafter. Joyce took the role of big sister seriously, and she was always looking out for her siblings. Since Mrs. Edna didn’t drive and Mr. Quinn was usually at work, Joyce made sure they had transportation. If her siblings were needing money for an endeavor, she would find a way to make it happen. Any role that needed to be filled, Joyce stepped up to the plate.
That saying went double when it came to being a source for spiritual guidance. Joyce was saved at the age of 9, and ever since, she kept her faith out front. You could see it gushing from every aspect of her life, and she was abundantly blessed. Having a firm foundation, Joyce never knew the fear of accepting a challenge. Instead, she became enthralled with it and would adapt to whatever her circumstances happened to be.
Her enthusiasm and zest for life attracted others to her, and she made sure the ones closest were her siblings, whom she held so dear. With Joyce as leader of the pack, they managed to move numerous times, attend a myriad of schools, and spend ample time together without having any ill words toward one another. However, all good things eventually come to a close. Though Joyce stayed close taking secretarial work straight out of high school, she eventually got the itch for adventure and decided to change scenery and move to Waco, Texas.
The family stayed close at heart over the years even though they were miles apart, and it was in Waco that Joyce met L.B. and decided to expand her family. L.B. must have liked staying busy because Joyce was sure to keep them that way. For 35 years, she lived in Waco, and in those 35 years, she managed to get them into just about everything. From her involvement in the church to her personal endevors, Joyce didn’t have a dull moment.
She started a professional monogramming business and would take orders at the mall throughout the week. Then, she would come home and stitch them while also helping run their farm with sheep, goats, and chickens. All of that training in secretarial work came in handy keeping up with the paperwork, and her monogramming business grew to do monograms for the universities in Texas on ball caps, shirts, jerseys, and other merchandise.
Somehow, Joyce managed to find the time to also start a woodworking business with L.B. They would make porch chairs and swings together, and of course, Joyce made time for her faith. She was very involved in the churches out in Texas, and she kept up with countless people and their families. Her mind was a steel trap, and her heart was pure gold. They say everything is bigger in Texas, but Texas wasn’t big enough to contain the impact that Joyce made.
She and L.B. decided to move their efforts to Tennessee, and though it wasn’t planned, it worked out that all of the Quinn girls moved back to Tennesee and ended up living close together. Having that entrepreneurial spirit and being a quick study, Joyce didn’t let her hands get idle. She started an organic farm, growing fruits and vegetables. She would bake pies and bread and take her products down to the local Farmers Market to sell. It would be far from the Joyce way to stop there, so she also taught herself to can, freeze, and preserve foods by any means available.
Farming, baking, and canning must have not kept Joyce busy enough though because she also started a devotional. Giving it a Texas flare, if she was going to do it, Joyce was going to do it BIG. Her devotional, “Whispers from the Holler,” was a text chain that grew to over 200 people that were sent a text every day. How did it get this big? Word of mouth, and quite honestly, it was most likely Joyce’s mouth. A social butterfly, she never met a stranger. Her family remembers her being the person who would meet someone at Wal-Mart and almost immediately get to talking about the Lord and trying to save them.
Being a dedicated worker for the Lord and a “Prayer Warrior” was nothing new to Joyce. Her firm foundation from the age of 9 kept her planted in prayer and praise. She faced some of the toughest challenges in life during the most difficult times to face them. From the constant moving as a child to losing both of her children to having to surrender her big sister role and let others care for her, she faced everything head on with grace and poise.
Joyce may have never gotten Texas out of her system, but she knew this earth was not her home. Her goal in life was no matter what she did to do it as if she was working for the Lord, and she was showered with blessings in success and opened doors. Reunited with her children and in the presence of the Lord, Joyce has realized the reward of a good and faithful servant. Though her family mourns the loss of her presence, they rejoice knowing she’s made it home.
Service details will be announced at a later date.
Share memories and condolences at www.gentrysmithfuneralhome.com Gentry-Smith Funeral Home, 303 Murfreesboro Rd. Woodbury, TN 37190, 615-563-5337 Because every life has a story
