Joyce Marie Nesmith, 85, Woodlands, Texas
Joyce Marie Nesmith
WOODLANDS, TEXAS Joyce Marie Nesmith, 85, of The Woodlands, Texas passed away on March 18, 2023, in Waco, Texas, Joyce was bom on June 3, 1937, to Mark and Thelma Slaven. She attended a one room country school before attending and graduating from Beloit High School in Beloit, Kansas.
While a student at Kansas State University, she met Kenneth Nesmith, whom she married on February 1, 1957. Because of Ken’s travels with Shell Oil Company, she left Kansas State 17 hours short of graduation but completed her course work years later and graduated in 1985 with a degree in education with all four generations of her family present, including her parents, children, and two grandkids.
Because of Joyce’s influence, the Nesmith family has grown to have many homes but one heart. She was a dedicated wife and mother first and foremost. She treasured her husband and sons and embraced every moment with them. She especially loved her role as Grandma.
Joyce loved her Lord, and she loved people, especially her family, friends, and the educators, staff, and administrators she worked with in her many years with Spring ISD. She was a generous spirit and dedicated her life to helping others. At The Woodlands Methodist Church, she led the OK Quilters group, who met each week to make lap quilts for shut-ins, was among a group of rotating teachers for her Sunday School class, and, along with husband Ken, organized the monthly Prime Timers luncheon for seniors. She also witnessed her faith and led a devotional weekly at a local retirement community.
An avid Kansas State University graduate, Joyce, with Ken, organized the first Houston Area KSU Alumni organization to raise scholarship funds for local students. They often supported various Wildcat teams and colleges including Business, Education, and Leadership with their attendance and their resources, even hosting a group of twenty-five KSU/ Staley School of Leadership students in Waco at their son and daughter-in-law’s home when they came to participate in a service and leadership event with Baylor students. She was known to proudly wear purple over the years.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Jerome Slaven. She is survived by her three sons and the two daughters-in-law that she loved and treated like daughters, Douglas and Suzanne Nesmith of Crawford, Texas, Daniel and Sandra Nesmith of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and David Nesmith of Houston, Texas; grandsons, Matthew Nesmith and Chelsea of McKinney, Texas and Timothy Nesmith and Brandi of Dallas, Texas; granddaughter, Amy Best and Travis of Parker. Colorado; great granddaughters, Avery, Lily, Sydney, Norah and Reagan; brother James Slaven of Braselton, Georgia; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; and brother-in-law and sisters-in-law. Services are pending and will be held at The Woodlands Methodist in The Woodlands, Texas, Memorials may be directed to Woodlands Methodist Church or Kansas State University Scholarship fund.