Joyce Saunders Funeral Program

I N LOV I NG MEMORY OF

Joyce Geneva Saunders JULY 20, 1945 - MARCH 30, 2023

F ROM TH E H EA RT C H U RC H MI NI STRI ES OF C H A RLOT TE April 15, 2023 | 12pm-2pm 1100 N Sharon Amity Rd, Charlotte, NC 28211

Order of Service Officiated by Pastor Terence Jennings of From the Heart Church Ministries of Charlotte ▪ Opening Greeting ▪ Invocation ▪ Musical Selection ▪ Scripture Readings Old Testament New Testament ▪ Prayer of Comfort ▪ Musical Selection ▪ Acknowledgements ▪ Remarks ▪ Reading of Obituary ▪ Song of Preparation ▪ Message of Hope ▪ Call to Christ ▪ Closing Remarks ▪ Benediction

Obituary Joyce Geneva Saunders (nee Rankin) was born on July 20, 1945 to James and Frankie Rankin in Los Angeles, CA. She was raised in Memphis, TN and was very active throughout her school years. Joyce participated in the Army National Defense Cadet Core - ROTC, glee club, school choir, and cheerleading. She was well loved by the Hamilton High School community and graduated in 1963.

Joyce’s love for music, travel, and fun began very early in life.

She was an active member of Castalia Missionary Baptist Church where she sang in the choir. As a teenager, she and two childhood friends, “Bucky” and Evelyn, sang background for Stax Records artists Rufus and Carla Thomas in Memphis, TN. She also spent every summer visiting family in Los Angeles, CA, and was known to be the ring-leader of her crowd of friends.

These passions were passed down to her children, grandchildren, and all who knew her. We were blessed to share a home filled with music and go on many trips together.

Over the years she and her sisters enjoyed trips to DisneyLand and Disney World. Anyone who had the pleasure of riding a roller coaster with her can still hear her screaming, “I changed my mind”!

Joyce was our very own “Rosa Parks”. During her Sophomore year of high school, she was arrested for not conforming to the “Jim Crow” laws of the south. The bus driver demanded that she give her seat up, move to the back of the bus or go to jail. Joyce chose to go to jail! She spent three hours in detainment and was bailed out by her mother and Pastor.

While studying in college, she fell in love with her first husband, William Lloyd Jerome, Jr. They were married on December 18, 1965 and to their union William Lloyd III, Wesley Lionell, and Jacqueline Gayle were born. Their union ended in divorce in 1977.

While raising her young family, Joyce worked her way through the ranks of AT&T as an office manager and the State of Maryland Health Department where she made many lifelong friends, Margo, Naomi, and Paula.

During this time she met and married Alfred Gibson.

They cared for a blended family which included Alfred’s children: Delicia, Devonia, and Shawn. In 1996, they decided to part ways.

Joyce received salvation at Full Gospvel A.M.E. Zion Church From the Heart Church Ministries in Temple Hills, MD where she grew and matured in God’s Word under the teachings of Pastor John A. Cherry, Sr. She learned the power of forgiveness for self and others. The healing she received allowed her to have healthy personal and professional relationships with all those around her.

In 1999, she and a family friend, Gurvis Saunders, fell in love and married in 2002. She enjoyed taking vacations with her new family, spending time with their grandchildren, fishing, and eating the catch!

In 2009, they retired to Charlotte, NC and were able to enjoy being closer to many family members, partake in their grandchildren’s upbringing, take time to care for her sister, and serve her new church family. Sister Saunders served as the Physical Stewardship Ministry Head, helping to keep the

church clean for many years. In addition, she enjoyed working with the children during summer camp and singing tenor in the choir. A secret power she had was the ability to keep up with everyone’s birthdays, holidays, and special occasions.

Every family member and/or close friend has had the pleasure of receiving a greeting card with money or confetti in it.

Joyce was diagnosed with dementia in 2014 and fought valiantly for over nine years with the help of her church members, family, and friends. In 2018, she moved into Hamilton Family Care Home, under the care of the Saidykhan family. During this time, she was able to receive the love, care, and attention she had shown others for many years.

Joyce was preceded in death by: her husband, Gurvis Saunders; parents, James and Frankie Rankin; brother, James, Jr.; sister, Ruth Jackson; and son, William Lloyd, III. Left to cherish her precious memory are: her children, Wesley (Sonja), Jacqueline Richardson (Christopher) and Makia Benniefield (Adrian); the Saunders family, sisters, Dian Townsend, Velma Grant, Ruthann Davis, and Hettie Lindsey (Henry), Jean Rankin Keith, Rosalind Rankin Keith, brother Irvin Rankin Keith; grandchildren, Winston, Wade, MiChon, Xavier, Hannah, Sydney, Miles, Llorielle, Alexis, Indya, and Wesley Michael; two great-grandsons, Jordan and Ju’Elz; and a host of family and friends.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

HONOR ARY PALL BEARERS

Vernon Townsend, II

Dave Davis

Torrik Townsend

Andre Henderson

Michael Grant

William Lindsey

FINA L ARRANG EME NTS ENTRUSTED TO

Long & Son Mortuary Services, Inc http://longandsonmortuary.com 2312 Beatties Ford Road Charlotte, NC 28216

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