Joyce Lord

Joyce Virginia Parker Lord, 87, of Wilmington, NC, passed away peacefully on January 14, 2024, at Lower Cape Fear Lifecare Center in Wilmington, NC., after a brief but ferocious fight with pancreatic cancer.

Joyce was born to William Cleveland Parker and Gladys Green Parker on August 9, 1936 in Myrtle Beach, SC. She was the middle child of three children.

Joyce graduated from New Hanover High School and worked as an executive secretary for the Internal Revenue Service, located in the Federal Courthouse in downtown Wilmington. She married her first husband, and the father of her children, William Earl Stanley ("Bill") in 1954. Joyce and Bill moved to Florida in 1962 where Joyce became a full time homemaker and mom for 10 years.

After a divorce in 1973, she went back to work and had a successful career as an executive administrator at Harris Corp. in Melbourne, FL. She was a dedicated employee who made significant contributions to the company. There she met her future husband, Frederick F. Collier Jr. They later married in 1982, and enjoyed traveling all over the US in a motor-home after they both retired.

Joyce and Fred had thirteen precious years together, before he succumbed to throat cancer from exposure to Agent Orange during his military service in Vietnam. Joyce was his full-time caretaker for 13 months before his death.

In 1996, Joyce returned home to Wilmington, NC and cared for her elderly mother, Gladys, for several years. She took up weight lifting and excelled at Ball Room dance classes. She also learned the shag, swing dance, polka, and country line dance. Her favorite dance was the graceful Waltz.

In 2005, at the age of 69, Joyce found love again and married Robert Henry Lord, Sr. ("Bob") Joyce and Bob enjoyed exploring the world through cruising and traveling. They turned heads on the dance floor with their ballroom dance moves, and their elegant formal clothes. They loved gardening, and had many close friends at their church, Ogden Baptist in Wilmington, NC, as well as in Vero Beach, FL where they became "snowbirds" in 2010.

Joyce was known for her cheerful, outgoing personality. A quintessential social butterfly, she adored talking to people and getting to know them. In any gathering, Joyce was the one who was encouraging people to interact and talk. Joyce had many friends and admirers throughout her life. A beautiful woman inside and out: her "super power" was batting her eyelashes, while flashing her bright sunny smile. She was physically fit and loved shopping for beautiful dresses, gowns, shoes and accessories. An avid reader, one of her most frequented places was the public library.

Joyce will be deeply missed by her loved ones. She is survived by her daughter, Virginia Ebert ("Ginger"), and son-in-law Jeff Ebert, her son, William Earl Stanley, Jr., numerous step children, including a special step-daughter and friend, Susan Collier, grandsons Kyle Henry (Erika), Ryan Henry, Klinton Henry (Sarah), Earl Stanley III, and her granddaughter, Brittnay Stanley. Joyce was also a proud great-grandmother to Kole Henry, Freya Grinnell-Henry, Issa Grinnell-Henry, and Alex Henry.

Joyce was preceded in death by her sister, Carol Bonder, her brother, William Parker ("Billy"), her former spouse, Fred Collier, and her spouse, Robert Lord.

A graveside service will be held at 11:00 am on January 23, 2024, at Greenlawn Memorial Park, 1155 Shipyard Blvd, Wilmington, NC. Please join us in remembering and celebrating the life of Joyce Virginia Lord.

The family would like to thank Lower Cape Fear LifeCare for making Joyce’s final days comfortable, peaceful and dignified.