Joycelyn McClure

Joycelyn L. (Murphy) McClure, 95, of Shawnee, Kansas, passed away of natural causes on February 23, 2021 at Brookdale-Shawnee.

Joycelyn (Joy) was born in Denver, Colorado, in September 1925, to Alice Mae (Coder) and Patrick James Murphy.  She was a child of the depression era and lived in Colorado, Indiana, California, and Washington.  At the age of 17, she moved with her mother and grandfather, Lawrence Coder, to Tacoma, Washington.  She worked at a photography studio as a model and photo colorist.  She met her future husband, Lt. James E. McClure, at a dance in Ft. Lewis, Washington.  They were married in June 1946.  Joy called herself a dedicated “Army” wife since she “packed up and moved” when told that the tour of duty had changed.  The family lived in Japan, Guam, Germany, and Vietnam.  Stateside they lived in Washington, Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and Kansas.

Joy had an acute sense of color and an eye for design.  She wanted to paint the colors she saw in sunsets, distance mountains, spring flowers, green fields, and the ocean.  She would marvel at the color of the sky and shapes of the clouds.

Joy was a “life-long” learner and very curious.  She was an accomplished photographer, seamstress, and a teacher of the Deaf.  In her later years, she became a professional florist and an award-winning landscape artist.  She had a thing for “snazzy” cars, butterflies, the color pink, and music from the 50’s.

Joy was a devoted mother of two, grandmother of two, and great grandmother of seven.  She was preceded in death by her husband, James E. McClure in May of 1973, and her son, Mark J. McClure in August of 2010.

Her passing is mourned by her daughter, Sandra L. (McClure) Prentice, granddaughter Dawn L. (Littge) Gnuthake, grandson Erik J. Littge, and their respective families.

Visitation will be from 1-2pm on Sunday, February 28, with services at 2pm, all at Terrace Park Funeral Home.  Burial will follow at Terrace Park Cemetery.