Joyce Marie Carter

She was born on June 7, 1950, in Springfield, to Edward VanDerWal and Ruth Murphy. Joyce was a St. Cabrini and Sacred Heart High School graduate. She married her husband, Randy, of 53 years on January 30, 1971. Randy and Joyce went on to have two children, Mike Carter and Jamie Singer.

After graduating from Sacred Heart High School, Joyce started a long career as an executive assistant and payroll specialist with Home Serum, Coke, Robert’s Foods, and eventually Sysco Foods. Before retiring and into retirement, Joyce was also CEO of the Carter household and everyone’s favorite baker/chef.

Joyce loved feeding her family and watching her children and grandchildren play sports. When she wasn’t traveling for her grandkids’ activities in recent years, making favorite food dishes for Randy or family and friends, you would find Joyce ironing, folding clothes, vacuuming, or doing yard work in ways only she could do correctly- just ask her and she would not hesitate to tell you. While Joyce always enjoyed being around the house that she and Randy called home for nearly 40 years, she loved any and all opportunities for a family gathering or party where she would always look forward to bringing many more favorite dishes than she was ever given instructions for. Although Joyce claimed to be bad at gambling and not having any luck, she and Randy enjoyed their multiple trips to Las Vegas (breakfast at Peppermill), frequenting their local Dotty’s gambling parlor, or working on her weekly picks for one of her multiple NFL confidence pools.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Edward VanDerWal and Ruth Murphy; loving sister-in-law, Rosemary VanDerWal; and most recently her husband, Randy, on December 24, 2024.

She is survived by her children, Michael (Brenda) Carter and Jamie (Brandon) Singer, both of Sherman, IL; brother, Ed VanDerWal; sisters, Sharon Graham and Deborah (Bill) Turner; and her four grandchildren that could do no wrong in her mind, Connor and Kyle Carter and Braylon and Jayla Singer.

Joyce could make strangers and friends alike feel so comfortable through her contagious smile and enjoyed many laughs and stories with her siblings and many nieces and nephews whom she cherished dearly.

A special request from Joyce was to express her deepest appreciation to her amazing medical team, Dr. Mink and his special nurses, McKenzie and Maddie, Springfield Clinic Oncology, infusion staff, and all other nurses. She was forever grateful for the love and care they provided her. They truly made her journey a little brighter on the darkest days!

Visitation will be held at Butler Funeral Home- Springfield, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. with a prayer service by Father Kevin Mann to follow.

Graveside burial will be at Camp Butler National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to any of the many charities helping to fight cancer.