Joyce Isaacson

Joyce Ellen Anderson Isaacson, lovingly known as Joy-cee, Mom, and Grandma, was called home on April 3, 2020 joining the choir of angels for the commencement of Holy Week. Maurice, her husband, best friend, and prince of 48 years was at her side.

To know Joyce was to feel incredible love through all of the kindness and joy that filled her heart.

Born in Perham, Minnesota on November 11, 1951 (Veteran's Day), Joyce Ellen Anderson Isaacson loved how everyone celebrated her birthday by having the day off and flying American flags all over town. Joyce was one the youngest of three girls raised by a strong, kind, and beautiful mother Mildred Buschold Anderson.  She loved laughing through life with her two older sisters Judy and JoElla.

A graduate of Perham High School in 1970, Joyce shared her talents as a cheerleader, majorette, and band member and subsequently secured a Degree from Wadena Technical College.

Maurice and Joyce met in Wadena, MN in 1970 and were married on July 15, 1972. Young and in love, she always enjoyed sharing that their wedding date was payday so that they had enough money to get married. While her natural beauty may have been what initially attracted Maurice ultimately that paled in comparison to her spirit, filled with genuine, kind, selfless, and intuitive agape love.

Love as pure and genuine as theirs creates even more love.  One of the happiest moments in her life was when Joyce and Maurice welcomed their daughter, Cathy Anna, into their lives in 1979.  Being a mother was a calling that came naturally to Joyce, as she fulfilled it caring and teaching so many throughout her life. A guiding light, she used her life lessons, experiences, and Anderson-spunk to demonstrate how to be a strong and independent woman that can choose joy every single day. She shared how every moment throughout each day was a blessing and a testament to a full life that honored God. The next happiest event in her life came with the birth of their grandson, Hudson, in 2011.  Joyce shared limitless kindness with her beloved grandson and derived so much joy in return. The two shared a special connection of souls that lit up the world. A devoted wife and mother, she took great pleasure in raising their daughter and dedicating her life to helping to raise their grandson. Over the years, she sang thousands of lullabies, read countless bedtime stories, and shared prayers, and boundless words of wisdom at a moment's notice with her "little family" through each stage of their lives.

True to form, Joyce became an integral part of every community the family joined over the years. Their first move from Minneapolis, MN to Pittsburgh, PA stemmed from a business opportunity offered to Joyce. Committed in love and belief in her abilities, Maurice not only supported Joyce's dreams, but quit his job and joined the business. They subsequently moved to Yardley, PA, then to Alpharetta, GA, and then eventually retiring to beautiful McCormick, SC.  She loved discovering each new place they lived.  For over 15 years, Joyce shared her talents as a Clerk, Home Economics Educator, Estimator, Production Manager, Assisted Living Program Coordinator, and Hospice Caregiver.  She shared all of her gifts, from her beautiful voice and love of music as a member of many Church Choirs and Community Choruses to Baker of delicious cookies and desserts and amazing Sous Chef for her daughter. An avid gardener, she loved to dig in the dirt and delight in smells and sights of each bloom. From running Swim Teams to PTOs, Sunday Schools to Steven's Ministry, and Quilting to Crocheting Groups she was truly the fabric of many lives. But her favorite role was Domestic Queen, a title she earned as the lifeblood to our family as wife, mother, grandmother, sister, friend. The source of courage, strength, and love to her family, Joyce created a strong family fabric throughout their expansive extended family with Joyce as the enduring center.

No one has embraced life as fully and joyfully as Joyce. True to her name "Joy" she joyfully and magnetically attracted so many people into her life sharing pure kindness and joy. She was as feisty as she was gentle, as forthright as she was graceful, as full of wonder as she was of wisdom. Her loyalty was fierce and her laughter infectious. Joyce had a delightful, sometimes off the wall sense of humor that withstood all of life's ups and downs.  From hit-and-giggle golf and tennis to Bunco, cards and dice, she shared giggles galore in games with friends. She loved exploring adventures through books, colors of artwork, and flavors of the world. Joyce loved to travel and discover the world whether it was flying or driving cross country to visit friends and family or sitting on the back of the motorcycle feeling the wind as they toured the mountains of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and enjoyed the sights of Daytona, FL.  Even more so, she loved sharing this passion of exploration with Maurice, Cathy Anna, and Hudson. Her travels took her to most US states and to Canada, Mexico, Several Caribbean Islands, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, England, Canary Islands, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Falkland Islands, Argentina, Galapagos, Machu Picchu and New Zealand. A true traveler at heart, she enjoyed learning the history, culture, and languages of every place she ventured and sharing them with her favorite people.  Above all, she enjoyed the joyful pleasures of daily life from dancing in the rain to listening to the sound of the rustling leaves; feeling the sand between her toes and dirt in her fingers; admiring the way the morning light catches the dew and the way the fire dances in the night.  She lived her life to the fullest, always intentionally choosing to see the joy in every moment and the beauty in the world around her by counting every blessing.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents Mildred Buschold Anderson (1980) and Hubert Anderson (1984) and by her sister Judy Grattan (1996). She will be terribly missed by her loving husband Maurice, daughter Cathy Anna, grandson Hudson, sister JoElla and family, and Maurice's nine siblings and their families.

Our family is deeply appreciative of the vast number of people she touched. Her dear friends, fellow out-laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews who all meant so much to Joyce. While each person held a special part of her heart, you each hold ours, and we thank you dearly. We have no doubt that she left an indelible impression among each person on her path.

In light of the current state, the services are limited to a small family affair at Beggs Funeral Home. The family looks forward to hosting a proper Celebration of Life where everyone can join together and honor Joyce's life.  In the interim, the family is asking that you share photos and stories of times filled with Joy. And in honor of Joyce, take time to notice the beauty around you and intentionally choose to be joyful as she did each day of her life.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Lutheran Church By The Lake Building Fund, 100 Twelve Oaks Dr., McCormick, SC 29835

Visit Beggs Funeral Home's Facebook page on Friday, April 24, 2020 at 11 a.m. to view a live stream of the private family service.

Beggs Funeral Home, 200 May Ave., Lincolnton, Ga. (706)359-4117.