Clear, 68° F
(July 31, 1916 - Aug. 2, 2014)
Joyce Whitney Wilson, 98, died Saturday, Aug. 2, 2014, in Cody.
Joyce, the seventh of 11 children born to Big Horn Basin pioneers Nettie Taggart Whitney and Francis David Whitney, was born July 31, 1916, in Cowley.
Her early life centered around this close-knit community, her family and the Big Horn and Pryor Mountains. As a child growing up during the Great Depression, she knew the hardships of that era.
Music was a constant in the Whitney household and continued to be throughout Joyce’s life. She loved to sing and performed regularly in her church choirs and with Shorty’s Trio, which included her cousins Wyoming Willis and Ruth Blair.
She loved the mountains and worked at the Hawkeye Ranch on the South Fork as a teenager with her sister Alberta.
Joyce was valedictorian of her graduating class and later attended the University of Wyoming to study business.
Joyce worked for the Boeing Company during World War II in Seattle as part of the domestic war effort.
She married her childhood friend Richard (Dick) Wilson on Feb. 5, 1948, upon his return from the war. That marriage was later solemnized in the Logan Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on July 21, 1955.
After retirement, Joyce and Dick moved to Utah to be closer to their children. There, they also found the joy and satisfaction of serving in the Provo Utah Temple.
She often said that her biggest accomplishment was her family and was devoted to them. Joyce led a blessed life filled with service and the love of family and friends.
She was an exemplary woman and will leave a void in the lives of all who had the privilege of sharing her life.
Joyce is survived by her legacy, her children Ray (Julie), Des (Lynda Sue), Meg (Art) Highland, Jon (Coleda), and Jennifer (Robert) Guerrero; 32 grandchildren; 87 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, son Curtis (Kathleen), parents, brothers and sisters.
A funeral service in celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Wyoming Avenue in Cody. Interment will follow at 3:30 p.m. at the Cowley Cemetery.
