Joyce Leona Hawkins Parker

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Joyce Leona Hawkins Parker , 97, died May 25, 2022, in Ridgeland, MS. Joyce was born March 7, 1925, on the family farm in Monmouth, Maine, the youngest of five girls.

Her parents, Arthur and Mildred Hawkins, had emigrated from New Brunswick, Canada, to work in the shoe factories of Auburn and Lewiston, ME. The family lost the farm during the Great Depression so the family moved to Auburn, Me. Following her graduation from Edward Little High School in 1943, she attended Bates College, Lewiston, graduating with a Degree in French in 1947. She taught school for five years in Maine and Massachusetts, where she met another teacher, H. Jefferson Parker, Jr.. Discovering she didn’t care for teaching as a career, Joyce trained as an Occupational Therapist at Tufts University in Boston. Joyce and Jeff married in 1953 and eventually moved to Pine Bush, NY, where Jeff served as the elementary school principal.

Once the youngest of their three sons entered school, Joyce worked as an Occupational Therapist at the Orange County Cerebral Palsy Center in Goshen, NY. Later, she worked for almost 10 years at the Castle Point VAMC Center. She served for many years as treasurer for the Pine Bush Methodist Church. She was subsequently a long-time member of the Bullville Methodist Church and later volunteered faithfully with Jeff at the Good Samaritan Food Pantry in Walden while attending Trinity Lutheran Church in Walden.

In 2014, Joyce and Jeff moved to Ridgeland, MS, to be near their eldest son. She was a devoted Christian and always sought to lead a faith-filled life. She attended Wells Memorial Methodist Church in Jackson with her husband, son and daughter-in-law and came to be loved by many there. Joyce enjoyed playing the piano and was a talented knitter. She was a champion brownie and fish chowder maker and loved all things “cozy.” She cherished babies and talked about them until the very end of her 97 years. Joyce never lost her Maine accent and considered Maine to be her true home. She enjoyed visiting family there and taking annual vacations on the coast at Bailey Island. She instilled a love of Maine in her children.

She was predeceased by her parents, Mildred and Arthur Hawkins, sisters Ruth (Jimmy), Genevieve (Bob), Methyl (Richard), and Hope and great grandson Liam. Joyce is survived by her loving husband of 68 years, and sons, Jefferson (Debbie) of Ridgeland MS; Karl (Beth) of Galway, NY; and Dean (Pam) of Dahlonega, GA. She is also survived by her best friend, niece Vicki Sullivan, 11 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at Wells Memorial Methodist Church, 2019 Bailey Avenue, Jackson, MS at 11 am on Saturday, June 25, with a repast to follow. The service will be live-streamed and accessible at http://wellschurch.org/who-we-are/watch-livestream. Joyce will be buried alongside her parents, sisters and brothers-in-law in Gracelawn Cemetery, Auburn, ME. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the charity of your choice.