Reba Joyce Churchill

Reba Joyce Ross Churchill was born October 8, 1930, to James Andrew and Dessie Hickey Ross in Bullfrog Valley near Dover. Joyce married Vance "Buck" Churchill on March 20, 1950, and they began a happy, busy, and productive life together on their cattle farm near Dover, where they raised three children; Linda, Janet, and Gary. She delighted in her family, and was the loving matriarch of an expansive yet uncommonly unified family, including eleven grandchildren, all of whom adored and respected their "Mama Joyce," and who gave her, to her great delight, 16 great-grandchildren by the time of her death on November 18, 2015, at the age of 85. Joyce was born during the Depression, raised during WWII, went to work at the bank in Dover just out of high school, and after taking time off to raise young children, worked there a total of 48 years before retiring as a vice-president. She loved banking, knowing and serving the needs of her customers, and had a career that went from the mechanical adding machine to the computer. She was instrumental in that transformation, working long hours to get the bank into the digital age, and standing up for earning equality and opportunity for women, taking a leadership role in the Arkansas Association of Bank Women. She attended Arkansas Tech University and many banking courses as she was a life-long learner whose fondest desire was that her children and grandchildren get good educations. She worked hard to help them achieve that goal, living to see all of them gain bachelor's degrees, and many of them obtain advanced degrees, as she and Vance encouraged them in their chosen careers. A member of Dover Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Joyce also served her community through her work in local organizations including Home Extension, Chamber of Commerce, PTA, and Dover Housing Authority among others. A talented seamstress who loved pretty clothes, gardening, and reading, Joyce had an artistic eye for beauty and loved animals of all sorts from early childhood into old age, beginning with her earliest memory of perching on a wagon-load of household goods holding her first pet, a speckled bantam hen, and ending with Buddy, the Nursing Center dog who came by her room frequently for the treats she kept for him. She was known for her beauty, both inside and out. Joyce possessed an iron will, yet loved people and was prone to bouts of uncontrollable laughter when deeply amused. Though a teetotaler regarding alcohol and cigarettes, she was a confirmed Coca-Cola addict and was not above hiding her stash from disapproving eyes. Joyce was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 61 years, Vance; and her daughter, Janet Virden. She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, James and Mary Lou Ross, of Osceola, Arkansas; her daughter, Linda Mays and husband, Ben, of Clinton, Arkansas; her son, Gary Churchill and wife, Jennifer, of Dover; and her son-in-law, Kim Virden and wife, Sue, also of Dover. She is also survived by her loving grandchildren, Ross Mays of Denver, Colorado; Ryan Mays (Samara) of Montpelier, Vermont, Leah Mays Krebs (Ingar), Rob Mays (Katie), and Rhett Mays (Stephanie), all of Asheville, North Carolina; Tamar McGill (Eric) of Fayetteville, Arkansas; Laura Virden Weigt (Jonathan) and Jonathan Virden (Jennifer) of Conway, Arkansas, and Josh Virden (Susie) of Dover; Adrielle Churchill, of Washington, D.C., and Colton Churchill (Chelsey) of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and by 16 great-grandchildren, Kyal, Hayes, and Vance Pruitt; Will and Lynley Virden; Benjamin and James Ross Mays; Elias, Amelia, and Reed Krebs; Henry and Audrey Mays; Lucas, Rhett, and Julian Mays; and Madeline McGill. The family would like to recognize with gratitude the care and companionship of Denise Singleton and Betty Campbell, along with the staff of Ozark Health Nursing Center of Clinton, Arkansas, who gave such excellent care to their beloved Mama Joyce. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, 2015, at the Churchill Family Cemetery near Dover. Arrangements are under the direction of Humphrey Funeral Service of Russellville. Mrs. Churchill's grandsons will serve as pallbearers. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, November 20, 2015, at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Arkansas Children's Hospital Foundation, Post Office Box 2222, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203. The online obituary and guestbook are available at www.humphreyfuneral.com.