Clara Joyce Derrick was born in McLean, Texas on February 16th, 1915 into a family of seven brothers and sisters. She lost her mother to an accident when she was six weeks old and was raised by her mother’s sister, Elisabeth Spurlock (Cummings), without her siblings. She later reunited with them. Family always meant the world to her. She married Charlie Mitchell on December 13th, 1930. They had four children. Charlie passed away in 1964. She then began a career at the US Corps of Engineers in Portland, OR. She married again in 1966 to Charles Clifford Bryson. Cliff passed away in 1995.
Joyce passed away in her sleep on July 30th, 2013 at the age of 98.
She is survived by her three children: Randy, Kelly and Kathi from the Mitchell clan, and two children: Gary and Steve from the Bryson clan, as well as numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. She will be deeply missed by her loving friends and family. She had the most precious and priceless quality that we mere mortals can possess: the capacity to love fully and unconditionally.
