With profound sadness we announce the passing of Joyce Arlene Foley, our loving mama and friend to all whose lives she touched on February 26, 2023. She left us while sleeping peacefully in her own snuggly bed in her cozy home in Farmington, Arkansas.  She was just shy of her 80th year and oh-so-close to witnessing the purple pops of the redbud trees, bursting daffodils and all of the splendor that promised spring days to come, the season which she felt always would right the wrongs of winter.   She was and always will be immensely treasured.

She is survived by so very many loved ones and preceded in death by her parents, grandparents and many relatives who she has now returned to, including her father Porter, her mother Alma Loretta, and her husband Jerry. She also leaves behind her dear brother and sister, Donald Fox and Linda Fox of Pennsylvania, as well many friends.

She was the first love and the first friend to her children, Sherri Holmes (Jay), David Foley (Lauren), and Tamra Nichols (Nick).  She frequently voiced how pleased she was with the choice of each of her children’s chosen partners.  Grandchildren were her biggest delight, always available for a round of tomfoolery to whom she was known as Grammy, a wonderful combination of warmth, kindness, laughter and love: Benjamin Nichols (Sarah), Jacob Holmes (Aleesha), Reid Holmes (fiancée Marisa Felterman), and David Nichols (Morgan).  She was loving and much-loved by great-grandson, Sawyer, and her bonus great-granddaughter, “Tinky”.  One hundred forty-four days remained until the birth of Ben and Sarah’s bundle of joy–how she anticipated holding tight the baby of the baby that first made her a Grammy.

Born in McKeesport, PA on March 11, 1943.  She was raised in a Pennsylvania coal-mining town where she met in high school and married Gerald “Jerry” Foley, her loving husband of 55 years.  Jerry’s Navy career took him, Joyce and their three children to bases in Tennessee, Maine, Virginia, and California, where she made loving homes and cared for her family.  Finally, she called NWA home for 40 years, transplanting from San Diego.  She embraced the challenges and adversities of raising three children, often by herself, as a career Navy spouse and had a great capacity to roll with the punches of life, accepting whatever difficulties life threw at her fiercely independent, pragmatic spirit with grace and style.

These words cannot possibly sum up the life of our beautiful mama but are a mere glimpse into knowing her.  For the past seven years, she has been Sherri’s razor focus, as she worried over and took care of Mama to the very end.  Mama was a highly clever, discerning tiny statured lady of simple taste, and provided comfort and solace while asking nothing in return.  Her dreams were never spoken, and her wants were very few. She loved her entire family.  She worried about them, rooted for them, protected them, forgave them, and always kept loving them.  She doted over and spoiled every chance she got. Her favorite saying was an antiquated, “Cool Beans!” but never once opted to trade it in for updated slang.   She was a soft hand to hold on to and found such peace in nature. She paused to decode the shapes of clouds.  She took delight in trees, especially with squirrels scampering around their trunks, wild creatures, and little flowers by the road.  Love of nature was central to her life.  She had a deep emotion for animals, especially bunnies and birds–she thought of them as a great creation of God and longed to hear their chirps and witness their hops bringing early morning delight.   Her ears were ever agog for the sounds of croaking frogs as their lively chorus always serenaded; she seemingly secretly knew the language of their trilling.   She valued character over pedigree.  She cleaned out the “fold overs” out of the bag of Lays Potato Chips, saying there was just something about the heightened taste of a folded chip.  She had a well-stocked pantry of junk food, and a Readers Digest donned her nightstand for decades.  She was a patriot and overly sentimental about the simplest of gifts.

She instilled in her children strong values that have served them well, one of which was the invisible seat belt that was her extended arm.  It shot in front of our chests when she had to suddenly stop the car, utilize a crosswalk, or masterfully veer us to avoid something she didn’t want us to step upon.

She was always eager to meet with her friend, Susan, a lightning rod for energy and enthusiasm.  For many days, Susan remained present at her bedside, connected physically by holding her tender hands, but also to simply talk about Mama’s past, present and future journeys.

She will be laid to rest in the Fayetteville National Cemetery, inurned in a niche right alongside our dad, wrapped in a happy colored quilt to keep her warm.  Funeral procession departs Beard’s Funeral Chapel, 855 South Happy Hollow Road, Fayetteville AR at 2:15, March 09, 2023.   A service, accompanied by a gathering of family and friends, will occur at 2:30 at the Fayetteville National Cemetery’s pavilion.