Joyce Gordon

A funeral service for Joyce Anne Gordon of Gassville, Arkansas will be 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at Kirby and Family Funeral Home Chapel with Joyce?s friend, Pastor Stanley Blaylock of Bethel Apostle Church in Amory, Mississippi officiating. Visitation will be 1:00 - 5:00 p.m., Monday, December 3, 2012 at the funeral home. Interment will be at Kirby's Tucker Memorial Cemetery. Joyce passed away November 29, 2012 in Mountain Home, Arkansas at the age of 57. The youngest of six children, she was born November 16, 1955 in West Memphis, Arkansas, the daughter of Helen and James Gordon. Joyce lived most of her life as an Arkansas native, proudly donning her Razorback sweatshirts wherever she traveled. She graduated from high school in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1973 before living in Amory, Mississippi for fourteen years. In 1988, she returned to her beloved Arkansas to join family in Mountain Home. Joyce not only received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 1990 from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, but also a Master of Science in Education in 1995. She worked seventeen years in education as a teacher, administrator and curriculum specialist. She taught science and reading, grades four, five and six at Amanda Gist Elementary in Cotter, where she, among many achievements, created an after school tutoring program; instituted the Science Fair, was a Goals 2000 grant recipient to restructure Arkansas' Science & Technology Curriculum grades K-12. A hands on teacher, she had a model volcano built that erupted on school grounds; simulated a rain forest in her classroom; arranged for sixty sixth graders to travel to NASA in Huntsville, Alabama and was selected to attend with ten students to participate in the 1995 Celebration of International Earth Day Ceremonies in Washington, D.C. Joyce is survived by her step-daughter, Allison (Tyler) Drum and grandson, Caden Drum, all of Silverdale, Washington; two brothers, Milt (Ruby) Morris of Tampa, Florida and Elton (Mary) Kirby of Mountain Home, Arkansas; three sisters, Anita (Larry) Stacy of Amory, Mississippi; Milla Walker of Bull Shoals, Arkansas and Lola (Robert) Steele of Smithville, Mississippi; two nieces, Mitzi and Shannon; seven nephews, Keith, Junior, Andy, Michael, Mark, Nathan and Jason; as well as two more generations of nieces and nephews; many beloved friends, hundreds of students and her family at Gassville Therapy and Living Center. She was preceded in death by her parents; a nephew, Tony Wilson and a niece, Lisa Kirby. Pallbearers will be Jason Kirby, Larry Stacy, Carol Nusch, Becky Robbins, Mitzi McMahon and Devin Crownover. Honorary pallbearers will be Bob and Evelyn Hackler. Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Ozarks. Arrangements are by Kirby & Family Funeral & Cremation Services.