Joyce W. (Johnson) Waters, age 86, entered into eternal rest on August 9, 2026.

Joyce was born in Amity, Arkansas on February 22, 1940, to Leroy and Ilene Johnson. While Joyce was still a baby, Leroy left his young family in order to serve in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War. Upon his return, the Johnsons migrated to California in search of better work and a better life. Joyce grew up in the sunny, picturesque foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains alongside many first cousins to include Sue and Ree Davis, who remained her closest friends for the whole of her life. Eventually, two younger brothers were added to the family.

Joyce attended Placer High School, where she met her future husband, Larry Waters. They married and spent their early years in Southern California, while Larry served out his enlistment in the US Navy.

Larry left the Navy and embarked on a long and fruitful career in the U.S. Government, with Joyce supporting him every step of the way. A beautiful home was Joyce’s hallmark, and the couple were stationed, variously, on both coasts. Joyce would eventually consider their stint in Northern Virginia her favorite, and while there, she and Larry enjoyed exploring the area’s many points of interest, and they got into the local Scottish Game scene, where they immersed themselves in Graham Family history.

But the jewel in Joyce’s crown was her devotion and dedication as a mom. Their only child, Mark, was the apple of her eye and, with Larry, she guided him lovingly the whole of his young life. From working as a lunch mom at the parochial school, to serving as den mother in the Scouts, to proofreading term papers and encouraging Mark through various academic and extracurricular endeavors, Joyce was a mom par excellence. During college and then followed by Mark’s various military assignments and deployments, Joyce was a faithful correspondent and zealous purveyor of care packages and messages of encouragement. There was not a better mom, nor a more enthusiastic cheerleader!

In later years, Joyce’s health deteriorated, and in 2015, she and Larry moved to Pennsylvania so they could be closer to Mark and his family. Larry took spectacular care of Joyce for more than fifteen years, tirelessly tending to her every need.

Joyce is survived by her husband of 68 years, Larry, and son, Mark (Ann Marie), four grandchildren: Elizabeth (Matt), Patrick (Kelly), John-Mark and Declan; nine great-grandchildren, as well as her two brothers, Richard and Roy (Jackie) Johnson, their children and grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, August 14, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. in the St. Patrick Shrine Church, 152 E. Pomfret St., Carlisle. Burial will be in the Knights Landing Cemetery, Knight’s Landing, CA on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. www.EwingBrothers.com.