Margaret Joyce, age 101, died on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at Salemtowne Retirement Community, Winston-Salem, NC.
Born in Wilkes County, North Carolina on May 22, 1922, she was the daughter of Edgar Ring Settle and E. Ruth Settle. Although her family lived several places during her growing up years, her family roots were deep in the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills. She was a graduate of American University in Washington, DC; a formally trained musician schooled at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, and earned a Master’s Degree from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.
Beginning in the early 1950’s, Margaret taught in schools in Mayodan and Madison, NC for many, many decades until her retirement. Following her marriage to William Joyce in 1953, they built and occupied a home in which they resided until William’s death in 2002, and in which she continued to reside until 2018 when she entered an assisted living facility in Winston-Salem. The house was just across the road from Grace Baptist Church on US 311, and they became lifelong members and supporters of that church. William was well-known for his service with The Lions Club, and both he and Margaret devoted much time and energy over many decades to the Lions and to Grace Baptist Church.
Travel was always a passion of Margaret, and she, along with William, traveled extensively all over the globe. She accumulated pictures and souvenirs of those travels that she enjoyed sharing with friends and family.
Margaret was preceded in death by her parents and two of her siblings, Noah James Settle and Elizabeth Settle Key. She is survived by a brother, Joseph Settle of Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as by many generations of loving nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Joyce Endowment Fund for Children, managed by the North Carolina Baptist Foundation, Inc. Margaret and William established this endowment to contribute to four organizations: (1) Baptist Children’s Home of North Carolina, Inc., P.O. Box 338, Thomasville, NC 27361 (2) Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina, Inc., Lake Waccamaw, NC (3) Samaritan’s Purse, Boone, NC, and (4) Baptist Haiti Mission, 118 Courtland, Rockford MI 49341.
Colonial Funeral Home in Madison is serving the family.
Condolences may be offered at www.colonialfh.net
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