Joy Tinnin Zeigler

Joy was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 3, 1959, to Jack and Oleta Tinnin. After moving at least once a year for the first thirteen years of her life, the family (which by then included younger brother Randy) landed in Panama, Central America where Joy graduated from Balboa High School. When vacillating between studying writing or engineering, Joy was won over when a math teacher awarded her a scientific calculator, and so chose to study Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M University, receiving a Bachelor of Science followed by a Master of Science degree. She met John Zeigler while she was an undergraduate and he was a graduate student with a shared love of engineering and dancing. They were married on March 31, 1984, after a long friendship and a short engagement.

Joy worked as an Electrical Engineer for Mead Office Systems in Dallas, and then as she and John continued to date, she moved back to College Station and taught Electronics at the Texas A&M Extension Center. After their marriage, the couple moved to The Woodlands, Texas, where Joy worked for Compaq Computer Corporation. Joy continued her math and entrepreneurial interests as President of Accelerator Technology Corp, Co-founder of Office Sharing Locators, Personal Fitness Trainer, and teacher at The Woodlands Christian Academy and Lone Star College.

Compassion and care for others were hallmarks of Joy’s life. As a new mother she helped found the Pregnancy Assistance Center North (PACN) and filled roles of board member (along with John), volunteer, director, and executive director spanning many years.

Joy was an active and treasured member of Grace Presbyterian Church where she led the Adult Christian Education team for ten years. She taught adult Sunday morning classes, creatively engaging participants with activities such as choral readings of Ruth and topics that winsomely brought scripture to bear on the whole of life. Joy created and led Women for Women, a support group that focused on nurturing a safe and confidential space for women navigating challenges in their lives. Earlier, Joy led the capital campaign to raise the funds for the current church building.

In addition to her engineering, nurturing, and teaching sides, Joy was an inspirational and witty writer of short stories and mystery novels and was dedicated to her craft. During a romantic getaway, she once dragged John along to search the banks of Buffalo Bayou for ideal places to hide dead bodies. A member of the Writer’s League of Texas, American Christian Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime, and Mystery Writers of America, Joy also won contests for her writing. She met weekly with the Wednesday Writers Group to share progress, receive feedback and offer editing insights that were highly valued. She was working diligently to refine her novels up to the end.

Joy was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer on July 25, 2023. In the last 14 months of her life, she wrestled with her diagnosis and the pain and consequences of her illness alongside her fierce trust in God, sharing her reflections openly on CaringBridge.org. Her vulnerability and hope enabled friends and family to pray for her and be inspired by her faith and trust in the face of such uncertainty. She continued themes she had read and taught about, writing about her “theology of cancer”—that God had not left her to fight this on her own, but she was surrounded and supported by many, fighting with weapons of faith, hope and love. “God has called all of us to live out the good news of the gospel in the face of evil and death, through our hopeful spirits, good works, and mighty prayers, which form a beautiful picture of the miracles of redemption which our Father is performing on this earth.”

Joy will be lovingly remembered by John, her husband of forty years; son Daniel and wife Brooke; son Timothy; daughter Jess; brother Randy Tinnin and wife Rhonda; and mother, Oleta Tinnin.

The family will receive visitors from 5-7 PM on Monday, September 30 at Forest Park The Woodlands Funeral Home. A second opportunity for viewing will be 9:30-10:20 AM on Tuesday, October 1 at Grace Presbyterian Church in The Woodlands.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, October 1 at Grace Presbyterian Church in The Woodlands, followed by a Graveside Service at 1 PM at Forest Park The Woodlands Funeral Home.