Joyce Ann Barksdale was born October 8, 1945, in Martin, Tennessee, to the late James Carlos Brinkley and Pauline Byrd Brinkley.
Mrs. Barksdale passed from this life to be present with the Lord in the early hours of Saturday, September 26, at the age of 80 years, 11 months, and 18 days.
Joyce was united in marriage to the late Tommy Reynolds Barksdale on November 23, 1963. The couple resided in Huntingdon, Tennessee, where they raised their two children, Tina Marie Morris (William) and Jeffrey Thomas Barksdale (Audra), who survive.
Mrs. Barksdale was a school teacher for 30 years. Most of those years were spent at the Huntingdon Elementary School, where she shared her love of reading with fifth-grade students, which she insisted was the very best grade.
In 1999, the couple moved to the Pickwick area and then to Clifton, Tennessee, to be near their growing family and grandchildren, TJ (Thomas James) Morris (Lily), Andrew Thomas Barksdale, Eli Edward Morris (Sydney), and Natalie Ann Barksdale.
As she and Tommy transitioned to the retirement years, they built a lawn care business, in part to fill Tommy’s need to always be on the move. Joyce worked alongside him in this business, simply because she always wanted to be near him. They continued this work until Tommy’s illness in 2009 and his passing in 2010.
In addition to her children and grandchildren, Joyce is survived by her sister, Alice Tapper of Southaven, MS; sisters-in-law, Helen Brinkley of Jackson, TN, and Lucy Mae Vickers of Huntingdon; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was also preceded in death by her brother, James Marvin Brinkley; sister, Carlyne Wheatley; and brothers-in-law, Baxter Wheatley and Ed Tapper.
Joyce worshipped her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, at Christian Fellowship Church in Clifton, where services will be held.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Youth Program at Savannah Methodist Church, P.O. Box 396, Savannah, TN 38372, in memory of Joyce Barksdale.
