Services to honor the life of Joyce Christy Lewis Arnold, 91, of Bossier City, LA, will be held on Wednesday, September 28, 2016, at First Baptist Church of Dubach, LA. Officiated by pastors Joe Whitney and Jessica Lewis under the direction of Owens Memorial Chapel Inc., Funeral Home in Ruston, LA. The family will receive friends from 1pm to 2pm prior to the service at 2pm. Interment will be at the Henry Cemetery in Dubach, LA.
Joyce was born on June 30, 1925, to William H. Christy and Ora Shaddox Christy in Fort Smith, AR, and left for her Heavenly home on Thursday, September 22, 2016. She met and married the love of her life, Elwood (Dick) Lewis, and for 32 years of marriage they raised their four children in Dubach. After his death, Joyce moved to El Dorado, AR, and later met and married Melvin Arnold. They shared 14 wonderful years together. After his death and having spent 38 years in clothing retail, she retired and moved to Bossier City, LA to live near family. Joyce was a wonderful, kind, loving Christian mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend. She will forever be remembered and missed by all who were blessed to know her, particularly for her special family meals she would prepare, but most importantly her famous fried chicken. Upon her death, she was a member of First Baptist Church of Bossier City, and her last 5 years were spent at Pilgrim Manor Guest Care Center.
Joyce was preceded in death by her parents; husbands Dick Lewis and Melvin Arnold; sons, Richard (Dickie) Lewis and Vance Lewis; one sister, Millie Rankin; two brothers, Farrell Christy and Harold Christy; granddaughter, Christy Colvin. She is survived by her daughter Paula Lewis Hamilton and husband Richard of Bossier City, LA; daughter Cynthia Lewis Farley and husband John of San Francisco, CA; and daughter-in-law Carolyn Lewis of Kingwood, TX. Grandchildren Todd Colvin and wife Sandy of Tyler, TX; Leah Colvin Simmons and husband Cullen of Ruston, LA; Jessica Lewis and husband Nathan Dickerson of Houston, TX; Carey Lewis and wife Kristin of Houston, TX. Great-grandchildren Carter and Catelyn Colvin of Tyler, TX; Jake, Caroline and Anna Simmons of Ruston, LA; Olivia and Amelia Lewis of Houston, TX. Nephews Ronnie Rankin and Jimmy Rankin of Fort Smith, AR and niece Darla Real of Debary, FL.
Honoring as pallbearers will be Todd Colvin, Carter Colvin, Carey Lewis, Nathan Dickerson, Cullen Simmons and John Farley.
The family would like to thank a very special, dedicated and loving caregiver, Georgetta Pierce; the nurses and staff of Pilgrim Manor Guest Care Center; doctors and nurses of Willis Knighton Hospital and Promise Hospital of Bossier City for their excellent care and compassion.
The family requests memorials be made to First Baptist Church Bossier City, Freedom Fields; First Baptist Church Dubach, LA; or the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home.
