Joyce Edwards Arrowood

An angel has gone home. Joyce Marie Edwards Arrowood was reunited with our Dad, Grandparents, her Sister, Brothers, Aunts and Uncles and all her loved ones in heaven on November 3, 2020. She was our mother and the light of our lives. In tribute to her extraordinary love, we share her story.

Mom had a beautiful soul, full of faith and love. She was born on October 13, 1927 in Beaumont, Texas. This date is especially significant because just 10 years earlier, Our Lady of Fatima was appearing to children in Portugal and the last day of the visions was October 13. Mom had a special devotion to Our Blessed Lady and she prayed the rosary whenever she could. She was a devout Catholic all her life.

Mom’s early life was fractured and it could have been fragile. She lost her beloved father and two brothers early in life, leaving her and her mother and sister to carry on. It couldn’t have been easy being a young girl at 10 years of age having to move forward. But Mom was strong and stubborn – a role model for turning adversity into greatness. Thankfully, she had a huge Irish Catholic family – the philanthropic Toomey/Phelan clan - waiting for them in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was there she thrived. In the 1940s, Mom began a career in advertising and she was so proud of her work. During World War II, she met Bill Arrowood, a young Air Force man, who she married and with whom she raised 5 children. They were together for nearly 50 years and even XX years since Dad went to heaven, Mom never stopped loving and missing him.

It couldn’t have been easy to handle all the personalities in our family while Dad’s military career caused us to move every few years, but Mom handled it like a pro. We know she did because we never felt uprooted as we moved from place to place. Only now looking back at those years can we appreciate how difficult that must have been – but it was seamless back then. Her perseverance in managing life’s challenges is a trait that we admire beyond words.

We’re reminded of a quote by Mark Twain who wrote, “My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.” We hope we weren’t that much trouble but you get the picture.

She always put our family first. We can’t think of a single selfish thing she ever did, although she would be the first to say she must have and would we forgive her.

As we all grew up, Mom let us explore our various interests and directions. She never tried to rein us in or tell us to fit into a particular mold. Her unbridled enthusiasm for our choices was our greatest sounding board.

We have pictures of Mom playing the guitar in the 60s and skateboarding with her grandchildren in the late 80s. She took us camping in North Carolina, fishing in Canada, and sightseeing wherever we traveled all over the United States and Canada. Mom loved to go crabbing in Florida – a joy she developed during her years as a little girl on the beaches of Texas. We can’t forget the many family beach and ski trips - whether it was sitting with her family around a bonfire in Newfoundland, collecting shells from the sand in North Carolina or snuggling by the fireplace in the Appalachians, Mom was in seventh heaven having her family with her.

She loved clogging. She took lessons and would go places to clog, while Dad would accompany her and cheer her on. Dad even had a special piece of wood for Mom to use in their home so she could practice.

Her own personal travels included visiting sacred and historic sites, such as Rome, the Shrine at Guadalupe and Medjugorje plus many retreats to Mepkin Abbey, where she felt a special bond with the priests and brothers in residence, who loved her in return.

Mom’s family was the benefactor for building St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Charlotte many decades ago, a connection Mom always cherished.

One of the instrumental people in starting the Perpetual Adoration program at St. Gabriel’s Church, it was a unique way for her to profess her love of God.

To that end, her unwavering faith was her calling card – the instillment of that faith in her children was her purpose.

She leaves so many of us behind with our sadness. However, we are grateful that all her children were still with her in her life – Pat, Barb, Bill, Mary and Susan. Her sons-in-law and daughter- in-law, Bill, Sylvia, Joe and Tony also grieve with us. Our family includes Derek, Michele and Tom who loved Mom and will always be part of her collective legacy. She has 11 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. We hope that as they grow, they will listen to us talk about our Mom and understand the love we have for her. Mom’s legacy will always be the love of her family.

Recitation of the Rosary will be held at 7:00 pm on Thursday, November 5, 2020 at Harry & Bryant, 500 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC. Visitation will follow until 9:00 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 am on Friday, November 6, 2020 at St. Patrick's Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road E, Charlotte, NC. Interment will be private.

We also wish to thank the Homebound Ministry of St. Matthew’s Church, for their numerous visits with Mom. They were ever mindful of Mom’s devotion to the Sacrament.

We also wish to thank Legacy Heights’ staff for the care and comfort which was provided for Mom as she awaited her call to go Home. Mom’s final days were under the ever watchful eyes of the Hospice and Palliative Care of the Charlotte Region.

But, of course, our farewell words would not be complete without the message Mom wanted to make sure we said as her final good-bye: “I came, I lived, I went.” Classic Joyce – we love you!

Only One Mother

by Unknown Author

Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,

Hundreds of shells on the shore together,

Hundreds of birds that go singing by,

Hundreds of birds in the sunny weather.

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,

Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

But only one mother the wide world over.

The Watcher

by Margaret Widdemer

She always leaned to watch for us

Anxious if we were late,

In winter by the window,

In summer by the gate.

And though we mocked her tenderly

Who had such foolish care,

The long way home would seem more safe,

Because she waited there.

Her thoughts were all so full of us,

She never could forget,

And so I think that where she is

She must be watching yet.

Waiting ‘til we come home to her

Anxious if we are late

Watching from Heaven’s window

Leaning from Heaven’s gate.