Joyce Brown

Joyce went to her rest Jan. 26, 2012 at her home in Cheney, surrounded by loved ones. She was born Aug. 22, 1932 in Yuma, Mich., the second child in a family of seven, with two brothers and four sisters. Being born in the depths of the depression, times were hard and money scarce, yet they were a resourceful and hardworking family. As a result, all of them went on to earn a degree of some kind. Joyce graduated from Emmanuel Missionary College in 1955 with a degree in business administration.

Having never lived out of the state of Michigan, it was amazing that she accepted a job offer as cashier for the Upper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists located in the wild and wooly west at Spokane, Wash.

Out of her family she and her youngest sister Cora were the only ones to head west.

Unbeknownst to Joyce, a young man named Merrill Brown also was traveling west, having just been discharged from the Army at Ft. Devens, Mass. He was heading home to Cheney to the family farm just outside of Cheney.

Providentially, three weeks after Merrill arrived at home, they met at an Adventist youth camp called Camp Mivoden on Hayden Lake.

Her husband Merrill says: “I don't know how she even got through five years of college without getting attached to some other young man, but she didn't. And I found a jewel.” They were married two years later.

From their union came five children, three boys and two girls.

Her education fitted her to be church treasurer for many years for the Cheney Seventh-day Adventist church, plus doing all the accounting for the family farm.

She had a beautiful alto voice, could play the piano, organ, saxophone and accordion.

Her loves were her husband, her children, her books, and being Pathfinder leader (a youth group ages 10-16)—and not always in that order. She spent almost, if not all, of her life working with children and young people. She was one of those quiet leaders who never chose to be up front. She spent 45 years teaching crafts—in which she was extremely skilled, hiking, biking, camping, swimming, canoeing, marching and backpacking, with her young people.

She loved to garden, and one of her gladiolus won the Sweepstakes award in the Spokane County Interstate Fair two years in a row. She also won the Grand prize another year for the best craft with a macramé setting.

Above all she instilled in her children a love for Jesus, music and a lifetime of desire for learning.

She leaves behind her husband Merrill and five children: Vernon, Susan (Eastman), Sharon (Hall), Dan and Douglas. She also leaves five grandchildren, two sisters: Carol and Cora and a brother Jack.

A memorial service will be held at Central Seventh-day Adventist church, 828 West Spofford Road, Spokane, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Upper Columbia Conference Pathfinders, P.O. Box 19039, Spokane, WA 99219-9039, or a mission of your choice.