Joyce. There it is,
there in her name.
Do you see?
The first three letters tell.
Her gift is not selective.
In seasons of happiness,
she gives
with reckless abandon, concerned not
what others may think
of her lavishness.
In seasons of sorrow,
she pours out her brimming cup into the one
that has gone empty,
her voice
sweetening the drink.
Love needs to find
something that it can do
for others.
It will do the necessary thing
from practice that rises
above feeling.
And yet, when it comes
to this sister,
her actions speak, not only
to the moment.
She leaves behind
an incomparable gift.
When Joyce leaves us
to brighten another,
she leaves with us Joy.
Joyce Broady was the fifth of 11 children born to Clarence and Katie Lowry. It?s fitting she was a middle child because she was nearly always in the middle of all the excitement that went on in such a large family. She didn?t want to miss anything.
In her early years, the Lowry family lived on a farm in Johnson Township. Many stories have been told about her spunk, her fighting spirit, her deep love of family in spite of sibling spouts. When her two older brothers tested her with their mischievous antics, she took none of it by caving in. She stood her ground, and if necessary, fought back.
Nevertheless, on that small farm, she learned responsibility. She learned the art of sacrificial love. She learned loyalty to family. She learned the interdependence of a supportive agricultural community, and early on she took up her part in giving.
In 1968, she married Steve Broady. Theirs was a marriage built on very similar familial roots and the foundation of faith. Their life together was fully complementary and served as a testament of devotion to all who know them.
Steve and Joyce are the parents of two children, Stacey Turner and Craig Broady, and the grandparents of Logan and Landon Campbell, and Alli McCarty.
Early in Joyce?s life as a parent, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After surgery and initial treatment, it was clear that hers would be a long journey with a life-threatening illness.
In spite of many years dealing with cancer, treatment, remission, recurrence, experimental treatments, positive results and never-ending uncertainty, Joyce?s steadfast faith, unfettered joy and the long-held desire to miss nothing sustained her through longer trials than most will ever know.
The life that Steve, Joyce and her children have made on their own family farm is rooted in ancestral ties. Their commitment to the land, to their animals, to their crops and to each other is a reflection of patterns that go back to the biblical admonition to ?tend the earth and keep it.?
When it came to her siblings and their various important life moments, she made it a priority of love to be there. When it came to her children, she never ceased to give her all.
No matter what her grandchildren had going on and no matter how she felt physically, she was filled with joy at the opportunity to attend their many and varied activities. She became a regular at sporting events and at fair events. Though she was at those and other events primarily to see her grandchildren, everyone wanted to see her and she made everyone feel as if each little visit was a cherished reunion.
To her closest friends, she was the life of the party, a shelter in storms, a trusted companion. Her friends counted on her and she gave what they needed with a perfect timeliness.
Throughout the long decades of fighting cancer, Joyce became known to cancer survivors in her local community and far beyond. The lessons she learned as a child shone through in her selfless giving and availability to fellow sufferers.
None of us have an accurate estimate of the people she helped by her innate gift of listening, by her ability to empathize, by her ability to offer counsel, by her genuine touch. Her lasting, never-ending gift is that her life touched innumerable lives with the deepest form of love possible. She knew the infinite love of God and that light within her brightened the world. Her smile was one of the best of visions to any who knew her. It always gave a sense of welcome and well-being. Death has not extinguished the light of her love.
Because her desire and ability to help cancer patients was so broad, her family has decided to establish an endowment in Joyce?s name at the Scott County Community Foundation. Joyce continues to inspire all of us who knew her to rise above our own weaknesses, challenges, pain and grief to offer hope, joy and love to the people in our community we have the ability to serve.
?We are honored that Joyce?s family chose to memorialize her by establishing this fund,? said Scott County Community Foundation Executive Director Jaime Toppe. ?Scott County patients who are battling breast cancer will benefit from this giving. Oftentimes there are expenses not covered by insurance that put an additional burden on families during an already-trying time. Along with Joyce?s legacy of love and joy, there also will be a lasting impact of helping others during these struggles.?
