Joy F. Mecham

Hanksville, Utah - Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend, Joy Forsyth Mecham, passed away peacefully, October 26, 2012 in Draper, Utah at the age of 88. She was born January 22, 1924 in Bicknell, Utah, a daughter of Charles Simmons and Emma DeLeeuw Forsyth. She graduated from Wayne High School, Class of 1941. Joy married her sweetheart, Lloyd Burdell Mecham, September 16, 1941 in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Their marriage was solemnized in the Manti LDS Temple, June 14, 1980. He died May 28, 1989. Our mother was an active member of the LDS Church, serving in all the auxiliaries and served as a missionary in the Birmingham Alabama Mission from 1994 -1995. Her name, “Joy” described how she lived her life. She loved simple things: her family, a beautiful yard, a fluffy white dog, a game of “Hand and Foot” and the Utah Jazz.....GO JAZZ!!!. She operated “Joy’s Bed and Breakfast” in her home until she was 83 years of age. Mom was a tourist; civic activist; prolific reader, writer, and a witty and wise friend. She is survived by her five children: Randy and Deanna Mecham of Hanksville; Jim and Deanna Mecham of Moab; Jerry and Beth Mecham of Cleveland; Karen and John Runia of Draper, Melody and Doug Johnson of Rialto, California; 17 grandchildren; 43 great-grandchildren; a brother, Vard D. and Fayona T. Forsyth of Taylorsville. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and four siblings: Lola Bushnell, Eva Taylor, Coa Shirola and Charles Dee Forsyth. Funeral services will be held Friday, November 2, 2012 at 12 Noon at the Hanksville LDS Ward Chapel, where friends may call for viewing Friday morning from 10:00 to 11:30 prior to the services. Burial will be in the Hanksville Cemetery under the care of the Springer Turner Funeral Home of Richfield and Salina, Utah.