RALEIGH

Joyce Cherry Donaldson, 77, of Raleigh, NC passed away after a period of declining health on Monday, July 12th at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh.

Joyce was a loving wife, mother, mother-in-law and MaMa who brought a sweet smile and kindness to everyone she met. She was a proud member of the Class of '62 at Needham B. Broughton High, and a member of Temple Baptist Church in Raleigh since the mid 1960s. She was employed for thirty years with the Department of Motor Vehicles as a liability insurance customer service representative. She made many lifelong friends in grammar school, at Temple, and as a worker with the DMV.

Her greatest joys in her life were her marriage of over 45 years to Henry, being a mama to Beth, mother-in-law to Tommy, and MaMa to Andrew, Ethan, and Ty.  Henry and Joyce loved to travel to Florida and the NC Coast, taking many pictures along the way. She was blessed with the best friends that a woman could ask for, and some of her favorite memories involve times spent with them. Her family and friends will miss her terribly, but rest firmly in their faith that she is reunited with her parents, brothers, and grandson waiting for her in heaven.

If you'd like to do something in memory of Joyce, she'd want you to find someone with a need and help them, eat a hot fudge sundae, watch a baseball game on TV (she never cared who was playing, she just loved the game), or get a cup of coffee and sit down for a good conversation with a friend.

She lived by the Gaither song "Because He Lives"- "Because he lives, I can face tomorrow.  Because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know who holds the future, and life is worth the living just because he lives." She had strength like none other!

Visitation will be on Thursday, July 15th from 1-2pm at Montlawn with graveside service following at 2pm.