JOY E. SMITH

Joy E. Smith, age 89, of Raymore, Missouri, passed away May 5, 2018, at Redwood  Health Center in Raymore.

Funeral Service will begin at 2:00 p.m., with Visitation from 1:00-2:00 p.m., Wednesday, May 9th, 2018, at Cullen Funeral Home in Raymore. Burial will take place at the Raymore Cemetery. There will be a post-service reception beginning at 3:00 p.m., at the Quality Inn dining room, 17205 South US 71 Hwy, Belton, MO 64012 .
Memorial contributions may be given to Serenity Care Hospice, 1626 E Elm St, Harrisonville, MO 64701.

Born January 12, 1929 in Fillmore, Mo., Joy was the daughter of Findley "Shorty" Edwards and Dorothy Lulu Edwards.

She married Paul Richard (Dick) Smith in 1984 and lived in Raymore. She became one of the favorites at the nursing home Alzheimer's and Dementia unit and always had a smile for the staff. She would walk and walk the halls trying to retain her strength as she was very independent.

She went to school and lived and worked in Maryville, Mo. thru the 1950s. In the 1960s she moved to the Kansas City area where she worked at Greyhound Credit Union, Standard Oil and Amoco Oil.

After retirement she began selling Avon. Over 20 years she was very involved with her clients, friends and was always in the top sales club. She delighted in showing her products that were animated and would go from office to office winning hearts and selling that AVON.

Joy was a great dancer and spent Friday nights at the Moose Club in Independence enjoying her friends, the music and dancing up to the age of 82. She always had country music playing in her car when driving.

She loved to travel, she and her husband went to Las Vegas, took a cruise in Alaska, enjoying all the sights by railway and ship. They would drive to the Lake where she caught her prize bass.

Her other hobbies included gardening, flowers and great tomatoes that she shared with family and friends. She would jump in her car and take Jan a fresh pick of tomatoes or just drop in to check on things.  She loved the Lake of the Ozarks, living in Cameron, Mo., she had great friends that included her and Jan spending the weekends with the Parr family at the cabin. She even bought a boat and learned to drive it; she managed to scare all those around her but she did not give up and became a skilled boater.  She loved spending as much time as possible with friends at the cabin. She loved to fish and her goal was to have a fish fry for breakfast on Sunday mornings.

She was always looking for opportunities, if she saw a cherry tree, she would knock on the door and get permission to pick the cherries……..she would not want them to go to waste.

In 2012 she was diagnosed with Dementia and her world changed, she was confined to a nursing home and unable to take care of herself. The transition was very hard for her. Her devoted husband Dick took great care of her and never missed an opportunity to spend time with her. He would sit for hours holding her hand and sharing a meal with her. He went to visit her one day wearing bib overalls, she liked that and ask him to wear them as it marked him as Hers.

Joy was preceded in death by her parents, Findley Edwards and Dorothy Lulu Edwards; brother, Robert Edwards, sister, Donna Lee Gray; and nephew, Jacob Jackson.

She leaves a daughter, Jan (Edwards) York Adams & husband Bruce; Largo, Florida, 2 grandchildren: William Joseph Chabino & wife Debbie, Steel, Mo., Angela Rena Westhoff & husband Mark., Kansas City; 5 great-grandchildren: Derek Johnson & wife Madison and great great grandson Elliot Johnson of Kansas City, Katie Chabino Carpenter,Overland Park, Ks. Lanie Chabino, Kahoka, Mo. Brie Chabino, Independence, Mo. and Landon Chabino, Osage Beach, Mo; 3 sisters: Jean Cotter, Cedar Rapids,Iowa, Gerri Barry & husband, Scott of Pensacola, FL, and Hope Stanley, Wilshire Nursing Home, Lee's Summit, Mo; 2 step-sons, "William "Mick" Smith & wife, Nancy Sue, and Garry Ray Smith.

Arrangements: Cullen Funeral Home, Raymore, MO 816.322.5278