Joyce Ann Beers (Clark), 89, of Lawrenceville, Georgia passed away peacefully on April 29, 2022, surrounded by her family.

Joyce was born November 23, 1932, in Madison, WI. She graduated from Madison East High School in 1950. The oldest of four girls, Joyce and her sisters had a typical Midwestern upbringing. She attended church faithfully, became a Girl Scout, learned to play piano, and once performed a trapeze routine with her sister Gerry at a local carnival. As a teen she loved going to dances, often wearing pretty gowns sewn by her mother. Summertime was spent going to the movies, swimming at the lake, visiting extended family in the country, and detasseling corn to earn spending money.

After high school Joyce took a position with Metropolitan Life Insurance as an administrative assistant. In 1954, Joyce married her sweetheart Paul Warren Beers, and over the years they moved to Maryland, Wisconsin, Illinois, California, South Carolina, and back to Wisconsin raising a family along the way. As empty nesters, they finally settled in Georgia in 1985.

Once her children were in school, Joyce enjoyed part-time stints in retail selling two of her favorite things: handbags at Belk in Columbia, SC; and fine china at Boston Store in Milwaukee, WI. Shortly after moving to Atlanta, GA Joyce joined Lifespan Resources as an office assistant, a position that brought great fulfillment and resulted in many dear friendships. Having served the senior community at Lifespan for over ten years, she retired in 2000, the year her first grandchild was born.

We, her children, are blessed to have been raised right by such a beautiful and nurturing mother. Our home was made warm and inviting by her gentle touch and good taste. She consistently provided her family with healthy and sinfully delicious foods. Mom volunteered at our schools, attended our concerts and sporting events, was a member of the Altar Guild and Garden Club and never failed to show up with a casserole for a neighbor in need. Stylish and ladylike, Mom had a flair for fashion and just like her mother, she was an excellent seamstress.

Joyce dabbled in crafts, enjoyed tennis and social events with friends at the Rockbridge Club in Columbia, SC, and loved traveling, music, flowers, birds, gardening, kitty cats, old movies, and the Atlanta Braves. And of course, she adored her grandkids. While she missed her hometown of Madison and loved ones who lived there, she and Paul decided decades ago, after living in their second favorite hometown of Columbia, that they wanted to grow old in the South.

At times Joyce was shy and reserved but she was especially warm and friendly with those she knew best. She was fair and compassionate, though she had little patience for foolish choices and self-pity. She was a good listener and loved us unconditionally despite our growing pains. Mom patiently tolerated our bad jokes, teasing, and the silly nicknames we gave her and was quite adept at fending off the affectionate tickling we subjected her to well into our adult years.

Joyce was preceded in death by her beloved husband Paul, who after 62 years could still make her laugh; her parents Roy and Hilda Clark; sisters Gerry Horne and Carol Henning; and brothers-in-law Stanley Horne and James Henning. Joyce will be deeply missed by her children Lisa Cung (Neal), Randy Beers (Susan), and Dina Goode (Joseph); grandchildren Nathan Cung and Emily Beers; sister Nancy Henning; brother-in-law Daniel Henning; and many loving relatives and life-long friends. Our family is immensely grateful to Joyce’s caregivers at Sunrise Senior Living at Webb Gin, for the compassionate love and attention they provided over the past nine years.

Joyce was a loving wife, a wonderful mom, and a sweetly affectionate grandma. She will always remain dearly loved and cherished by her family. In 2010, she was diagnosed with vascular dementia. Her mental decline was slow but steady. Fortunately, she did not suffer from any serious physical ailments or diseases in her final years. Though eventually she was unable to communicate verbally, her disposition was serene and peaceful. She still had a sweet, dimpled smile.

A funeral mass will take place at St. Oliver Plunkett Catholic Church in Snellville, GA on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, at 11:00 AM, with a reception following the service. Interment is the following day, June 9 at 9:15 AM at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, GA.

The family welcomes memorial contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org.