Joyce L. Holmes

Joyce L. Holmes, age 83 of Plymouth passed away on January 11, 2023.  She was born on June 13, 1939 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to her parents, the late Alvin H. and Gladys M. (née Barrow) Miller.

She is the beloved and devoted wife of the late Kenneth G. Holmes who passed away April 28, 2010.  They were married for 48 years.  Joyce is the loving mother of their two children, Karen (Chris) Danke and David Holmes and very proud grandmother of four grandchildren – Jacob, Addison, Zachary and Kyle.  She is deeply loved and will be greatly missed by her brothers, Dennis (Robbie) Miller and Terry (the late Deborah) Miller.

In 1961, Joyce graduated from Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and graduated Summa Cum Laude which signifies a degree earned with the highest distinction.  She then was employed at Parke-Davis, a pharmaceutical company in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Later, Joyce married and became a homemaker for the next 20 years.  After having raised her family, she returned to education and attended Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan and earned an Associate Degree in Applied Science, Medical Record Technology.  Joyce never stopped learning.  She loved to study and didn’t just depend on being in a classroom to seek answers to anything she was interested in or curious about.  She had a very successful career and eventually retired from the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.

Joyce was a longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church in Plymouth.  She was close to her Church family and active in many ministries at the church. Her deep faith in God gave her much comfort throughout her life.  She was a genuinely kind-hearted soul and felt obligated and happy to help others.  No one would ever spend Thanksgiving Day alone.  Joyce welcomed anyone to her home in need of anything.

Nothing compares to nature’s beauty, and no one knew this better than Joyce.   She was a volunteer at Miller Woods in Plymouth that offers tours to community and educational groups in the spring and fall.  She was part of a team that maintained the trail system and worked to raise awareness of this special community forest preserve.  She appreciated all that it had to offer during our four seasons in Michigan.  She waited for and watched little green shoots in the ground welcoming spring, the explosion of summer wild flowers, the array of colors in the fall and winter’s quiet snow on the ground.  For Joyce, Miller Woods was like a tiny glimpse of heaven with its beautiful trees, the lovely sounds of songbirds and God’s little creatures such as chipmunks and squirrels racing playfully in their very own paradise.

Family was everything to Joyce.  She was always there for her children and grandchildren with her love and affection, encouragement, and support.  She so enjoyed being with each of her grandchildren whether they were all together or individually and one-on-one with her.  She was interested in their life and how they were doing in school, and they could always make her laugh and have fun with them. Her relationship with her grandchildren brought her such pure and simple joy. 

Friends may gather on Saturday, March 11, 2023 from 10:00 A.M. until the Celebration of Life Service beginning at 11:00 A.M. at the First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth, 701 Church Street, Plymouth, Michigan.  A luncheon will be held at the Church  immediately following the service.

For those planning an expression of sympathy and wish to honor the memory of  Joyce L. Holmes, all are invited to consider a contribution to Alzheimer’s Association, 225 North Michigan Avenue, Floor 17, Chicago, Illinois 60601.