Joyce Irene Miller, beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and sister, passed away on July 13, 2023, in Coffeyville, Kansas at CRMC with her family by her side. Born on May 13, 1944, in Coffeyville to Earl “Bill” and Betty Jane (Batman) Palmer.
Just a few days after her arrival Bill and Betty took their newborn daughter to their home south of Edna across the Oklahoma line in rural Welch, Oklahoma. Joyce attended school with her siblings in Welch and graduated from Welch High School. After high school Joyce married and had children. She and Dwane Wolf married and had a daughter Patricia “Patty” and though that union ended in divorce their love for their daughter did not. A few years later she and C.R. Miller were united in marriage and in that union their daughter Carrie was born. Unfortunately, that union also ended in divorce but again the love of Carrie did not.
Joyce worked various jobs over the years prior to retirement. As an adult she and her family resided in Wichita for a while where she was employed at Rock Island Railroad and the Hyatt Regency. When returning to the area she and her family moved to Caney, Kansas where she began working at Phillips 66 in Bartlesville and began working part time in property management in Caney. Joyce and her daughters moved back to Coffeyville where she worked at Cox Communications before becoming a full-time property manager for several properties such as Dale Apartments. She worked hard as a single mother to provide for her daughters, sometimes even working three jobs to make ends meet.
Aside from her career achievements, Joyce took pride in being a loving mother to her daughters and a wonderful Granny J to her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Joyce made beautiful quilts for her family. The quilts are cherished more than ever before, knowing that each piece of fabric cut, and every stitch made was with all her love attached to it. Her quilting also pieced together many longtime friendships formed in the Quilting Guild she was a member of and in the Bunco club. Jewelry making, and watching old westerns, especially Gun Smoke were also a few of her favorite past times.
Joyce loved sweets or is better known to have had a “Sweet Tooth” she loved a variety of Little Debbie snack cakes, Fudgesicles and Nerds. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were greatly spoiled by “Granny J” also benefiting from her love of sweets. Her grandchildren will always cherish the weekends spent with “Granny J”, playing countless hands of Phase 10 where they often cheated. Even though they bent the rules, it wasn’t about winning or losing for Joyce, it was spending time with them and creating memories.
Being a fun loving, heartwarming woman is what made Joyce so good at her job, special to those who loved her and most and a true friend to many. She was a good listener, gave real advice about what you needed to hear, not what you wanted to hear, she was nonjudgmental and saw people for who they were and not for their limitations. People gravitated to her because of these God given traits. Life was challenging at times and being hardheaded and strong-willed gave her the will to push through.
Joyce is survived by daughters Patty and husband Wes Smith, Carrie Miller-Burnett and wife Leslie Burnett; grandchildren Jacob Smith and wife Kayla, Victoria and husband Tyler Russell, Camille and husband Tyler Watts; great grandchildren, Carson Smith, Cali Smith, Colin Russell, Avalynn Watts and Jenson Watts; brother Lee Palmer and wife Paula; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and sister Diane Wicker.
A Viewing and Receiving of friends will be on Sunday, July 16, 2023, at Ford-Wulf-Bruns Chapel, 2405 Woodland Ave., in Coffeyville from 3 to 5pm. Cremation will take place after Sunday and a Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, July 17, 2023, at Ford-Wulf-Bruns Chapel at 11 am. The family has requested that Memorial Contributions be made payable to Asbury Village Activities Fund and may be left in care of the chapel. Privately the family will create a place of remembrance at North Edna Cemetery at a later date. To leave an online condolence, share a memory or view the streaming of her services visit www.fordwulfbrunschapel.com under her obituary page.
Joyce Irene Miller you have impacted the world around you immeasurably yet left the world brighter with your light. You will truly be missed but forever remembered – your life serving as fiery motivation for us all to live better lives!
