American Association for Women in Community Colleges

Salute to Strong Women
Evelyn Holtschlag

I knew within a few minutes of meeting her that Joyce was a nice person, but it took me a few years to realize that her niceness and her compassion were wrapped around a core of fierce determination and “true grit.” We met as young women dating men who were friends, we married within three weeks of each other, and four years later were expecting our first babies just weeks apart. Joyce and I joined a women’s group together, took our kids to the park together, traded books back and forth, and did crafts together. Oh, she loved to do “crafty” things…from hand-crafted wall plaques to embroidered pillow tops, she loved new challenges. She had unwavering personal integrity, an admirable devotion to family and God, and a great sense of humor that made her just plain fun to be with. Joyce opened her heart to a wide circle of friends, and my family and I were fortunate to be in that circle. I could always count on Joyce for friendship, support and fun.

As our lives unfolded, Joyce’s true grit became more evident. From early in her life, Joyce had to deal with multiple health issues and personal losses. Their baby did not survive; they adopted, and their son was the light of their lives. They did all the standard family things, while Joyce coped with steadily mounting medical problems. She underwent several operations, took a daily regimen of medications that caused their own problems, and eventually became dependent on others to drive her to all the places she wanted to go. Joyce wasn’t perfect—she lost her temper and she got discouraged sometimes. But she was one of the strongest women I’ve ever known. She simply refused to allow her problems and her pain to keep her from doing what she wanted to do to help others and from living life to its fullest. She was active in her church and was a regular volunteer at their son’s school. She kept a lovely home on a lean budget, attended every game of every sport her son played, and did the cooking and cleaning…plus crafting…to make their home a welcoming haven for those who lived there or visited. And yet, drop in for coffee and she’d put the pot on and sit and visit as though she had absolutely nothing more important to do than talk with you.

Joyce especially loved Christmas…everything about it…the church services, the decorating, the children’s pageants, and the company she’d invite in. And she loved getting together with friends and making Christmas crafts. I cannot decorate for Christmas without being surrounded by reminders of Joyce: the placemats we made together, the ornaments we made together, the Santa figurine she made for us. Some of the Christmas crafts, plus a photo of Joyce, are the mementos I’ve brought today.

One Christmas season, shortly after her son graduated from high school and started at John Wood, Joyce’s ever-loving, ever-joyful heart decided it had spent enough Christmases here and it was time to go home. She left behind so many people with such great memories. And so I salute this strong, strong woman and incredible role model for the rest of us. Joyce.