Joyce Lois (O’Reilly) Drew
Joyce died at home with her loving husband, Selby, by her side, on Wednesday evening Oct. 7, 2015. A private graveside burial with family was held.
Joyce was born on her beloved grandfather's birthday, June 10, 1925, in San Francisco, California. She was raised in Sonora, with her brother and sister where she graduated from Sonora Union High School in 1943. Following graduation, Joyce worked as a secretary/bookkeeper for several years in the Sonora area.
After World War II, she and her family relocated to San Francisco, where she worked as a secretary at Standard Oil, and later at Aramco in San Francisco. Joyce met her sweetheart, Selby (who was in the U.S. Coast Guard at the time) in San Francisco at a dance in late September 1952. Their first date was the very next day when Selby took her on a boat ride to tour Angel Island. In December 1952, they were married in Modesto. Following their wedding and Selby's subsequent year tour of duty overseas, they were relocated to Smith Island Light Station in the Puget Sound off the coast of Washington. As the years followed, Selby and Joyce relocated to other light stations in Oregon and California.
In 1962, they moved to Fort Bragg where they decided to stay and raise their family. Joyce was a homemaker with a mind for business. She was always passing on tidbits of information. She loved her sweetheart very much and took great pride in her children and home life. Also, Joyce was active for many years and held officer positions in both Parlor No. 210, Native Daughters of the Golden West, as well as the Sequoia Unit 96, American Legion Auxiliary. She was always one to whom you could count on to listen or to obtain advice on just about anything. She is remembered with great love and respect.
Joyce is survived by her beloved husband Selby and her children and their families, Jerold, Tricia, and E. P.