Kathryn "Joyce King" Brown

She was born near Trinidad, Henderson County Texas on January 25,1930 to Siller and Saylor Spence.

Kathryn Joyce was a nursery school teacher and secretary for First Baptist Church Baytown from 1963 to 1993.

She was a member of First Baptist Church, Highlands (1943 to 1951), Baytown (1951 to 1993), and Jasper Texas (1994 to present). Kathryn Joyce was also a member of Baptist Women’s Mission Union and a Baptist Girls Auxiliary teacher. She was the heart of our family and devoted worker in the church, wife and partner to her husband, and tireless supportive mother and grandmother.

She was preceded in death by her mother Siller Tiner Spence, her father Saylor Julius (Jack) Spence, her husband of almost 35 years Thomas Creed King (1984), her husband of 20 years Virgil Brown (2014), and her sister Francis Charlene Ramey (2019).

She is survived by daughter Kathryn Jo King Parada and husband Jose their children (grandchildren) Lauren, Alan and Ameira; son Tommy King and wife Debie their children (grandchildren) Kristan, Cody his wife Rachel their children (great-grandchild) Gideon and Melody; son Paul King; son David G. King and his children Jacob, Briane and David Thomas and wife Amy and their two children (great-grandchildren) Kristian and Scarlett; son Chris King and wife Jennifer and their children (grandchildren) Jenna, Kaylee and Ryan Cuevas and their child (great-grandchild) Kadence, Thomas, Landon, and Shelby.

Kathryn Joyce was born on the family farm near Trinidad, Texas where she remembered playing in the cotton fields while both parents worked the farm. In 1934, her family move to Pelly TX where her Father’s mother had a home just east of the Pelly oil fields and her Father built their own house on her grandmother’s property. In 1937, her Father was hired by Humble Oil & Refinery, and they moved to a home on 7th St. in Highlands TX.

Kathryn Joyce was befriended by the neighbor girl across the street from her home. Her friend was the daughter of the Pastor for First Baptist Church Highlands. This was a pivotal event as she later became the first Christian in her family and met her husband to be at that church. This latter event occurred at First Baptist’s Singles Sunday School Class during her senior year at R. E. Lee High School.

She and Thomas married in 1950 and soon moved to a home on Missouri Street in Baytown as he worked as an accountant at the dock offices for Humble Oil. They bought their first home on Utah Street and moved their membership to First Baptist Baytown then on Kentucky Street. This house became a loving home for the family of seven plus Grandmother King until 1993.

In October of 1993, Kathryn Joyce married Virgil Brown who had also lost his spouse of many years. They decided to sell both of their homes and build their dream home on a 17-acre plot of land south of Jasper Texas. The home was lovely and became a favorite gathering place for holiday and other family events for the growing family with a combined 9 children their 8 spouses and 18 grandchildren and now 3 great-grandchildren. When Virgil passed away in 2014 Kathryn Joyce sold her home and moved closer to her sons in her present house near Mont Belvieu.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you give in memory of a loved one at St. Jude Hospital’s website www.stjude.org.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, March 12, 2024 from 12:00-1:00 pm at Navarre Funeral Home Chapel, 2444 Rollingbrook Drive, Baytown, TX 77521. Funeral service will begin at 1:00 pm. Committal will follow at 2:30 pm at Earthman Memory Gardens Cemetery, 8624 Garth Rd, Baytown, TX 77521.