Joyce Emile Russell Smith

Joyce Emile Russell Smith

Joyce was born on May 19, 1942 in Edinburg, Texas. She spent her formative years in the Rio Grande Valley and graduated from Edinburg High School in 1960. After high school, she enrolled in college and was a member of the chorus and dance team. In 1964, she earned a degree in Elementary Education from Pan American College, where she met her husband, John.
A devout Christian, Joyce spent many years sharing her joy teaching Sunday school to young minds and had a particular love watching children learn to read. She was a wife, a mother, a homemaker, a bookkeeper, a gardener, a teacher, and a woman of faith.
Joyce’s elegance and poise will forever be unmatched. She exuded the essence of Hollywood glamour tempered with southern modesty, and was just as likely to be found strolling the shops in Fredericksburg as she was riding a lawnmower. She was especially thoughtful, and intentionally spent time writing letters or wrapping packages with the perfect paper. She enjoyed reading, planting flowers, taking long walks at Canyon Lake, chatting on the phone, and even sending cute emojis over texts.
Her physical body is no longer on this earth, but we feel her with us in our everyday lives. She is the warmth of a cup of coffee in your hands, the sparkle and shine in decorative glass, the beauty in a sea of bluebonnets, the radiance and embrace of a Texas sunset.
She was predeceased by her father, Dan Russell and mother Evelyn Allen Russell. Her sister Danelle Russell Schultz. She is survived by her husband, John D. Smith, her brother Andy Russell, her son Charlie Smith, her daughter Sharie Smith Miller. Five grandchildren, Emily Miller Marcotte, Matthew Smith, Kathryn Miller Guillory, Richie Miller and Rachel Smith. She had five great grandchildren: Sydney Emile Guillory, Ruby Evelyn Guillory, Owen John Guillory, Charlotte Noelle Miller, and Holden Christopher Guillory.
Many knew her as Joyce, and a fortunate few will forever cherish her memory as our beloved Mother and our Gram. Remember we love you and think of you often XOXO.