Illa Joyce Roberts

Illa Joyce Roberts passed away on Sunday, December 19, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas at the age of 82. Joyce was born in San Angelo, Texas on July 9, 1939 and grew up in the Dallas area. After graduating from Seagoville High School in 1957, she enrolled in college where she was studying to become a social worker when she met her future husband, Bob, a widower with three children. After a brief courtship, the couple married and within a year added a fourth child to their family.

Just 10 years older than Bob's oldest daughter, Joyce became a grandmother by the time she was 30 and would eventually be called "Memaw" by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Whenever the children were around, Joyce was sure to have a camera ready. The joy she found in family can be seen in the thousands of photos she lovingly snapped and preserved.

Joyce and Bob raised their family in Baytown, Texas where they were active members of Lakewood Church of Christ and Missouri Street Church of Christ. In the 1980's, Joyce became inspired by fellow hospice volunteer, Skittles the Clown. Joyce attended clown school and emerged as Gumdrop, a whiteface clown who ministered to terminally ill children and seniors. She, in turn, inspired Bob to join her in volunteer service as Lonesome, a hobo clown, after they retired and moved to Longview, Texas in 1993.

When not clowning around in East Texas, Joyce volunteered with Junior Achievement, served as a child advocate with CASA, and worked as an AmeriCorps volunteer for Longview Community Ministries. For her service to the community, she was recognized as a Volunteer of the Year by the Greater Longview United Way.

Shortly after Bob passed away in 2011, Joyce moved to San Antonio where she was diagnosed with dementia. While the disease robbed Joyce of her ability to volunteer, it never took away her sweet, loving nature and desire to help others.

Joyce is preceded in death by her husband, Robert (Bob) E. Roberts, Sr., father, Lloyd Everett Young, mother, Lela Marie Young, brother, Randy Lee Young, and daughter, Deb Garner. She is survived by her daughters; Cynthia Hamilton and her husband Keith of San Antonio, TX, Glenda Lee McDonald and husband Craig of Las Vegas, NV, son, Robert (Butch) E Roberts, Jr. of Dayton, TX, brother, Paul Young, grandchildren; Jimmy Johnson, Jennifer Parker, Jeff Holland, Jessica Garner, Tiffany Chmiel, Kimberly Roberts, Kristin Blum, Mayce Dotson, Tate McDonald, Christopher Hamilton, Nicholas Hamilton, and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in her memory to Longview Community Ministries, P.O. Box 1023, Longview, TX 75606.