Joycelin "Joyce" Brown Barnes was born on January 13, 1940, in White City, a small community just northwest of Hornbeck. Her parents were Elmer Robert and Mamie Alice Brown. She was the youngest of five siblings, Yvonne, Avis, Doris, and Jodie. I’m not sure of their birth order, and not even totally sure of their proper Christian names; these are the names I knew them by. Because she was the baby, she was actually closer in age to two of her nieces Sue Ann and Diane (daughters of Aunt Avis), and they grew up together in Hornbeck. Mom was a stunning young lady and when she and dad (quite a strapping young man himself) met in 1964, it only took them a week to meet and marry. He was in the National Guard stationed at Ft. Polk at the time and they met at the Dairy Delight in Leesville. Diane and Sue Ann were with her when she met Dad. Dad was an electrician from Alabama and he and Mom lived in a couple of different areas during their life together including Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas.
For a couple of country kids from Hornbeck and Dadeville, they accomplished a lot and impacted a lot of people. Mom had a few different careers and hobbies throughout her life, including working for the company that manufactured Redstone rockets in Huntsville, Alabama; owning both a beauty salon and ceramics shop in Hornbeck; owning a furniture store in Bay City, Texas, and working in the Financial Aid office at NSU-Ft. Polk. She also enjoyed painting and quilting. Although Mom never matriculated beyond the 6th grade, she ended up earning her Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree, and a teaching certification from Northwestern State University later in life. While working at NSU-Ft. Polk she got involved with the Kiwanis Club of Vernon Parish and was instrumental in raising revenue for their causes with her quilt raffles and weekly gumbo lunches at the campus. She was recognized as the Kiwanian of the Year in 2006-07. She survived cancer twice. She and dad hosted foreign exchange students from Greece, Japan, and Brazil. She wrote a children’s Christmas book when I was in grade school and got it published a few years later. They deftly managed all this on top of dealing with their adopted, stubborn, argumentative son who didn’t really learn to appreciate them until later in life.
Mom and Dad had different personalities. He was outgoing and gregarious and would talk to anyone. Mom was more reserved and had a closer, smaller circle of friends. One of the things they did share in common was the love of their children and granddaughters. My wife and I had three daughters that meant the world to Mom and Dad…you could tell by all the pictures on the refrigerator and the fact that Dad called any of us that had a phone number a couple of times per week, just to hear our voices and to ask how we were doing. They loved it when we were able to bring the girls to visit.
When Dad passed away in November of last year, they had been married for over 57 years. Mom and Dad didn’t always agree, and sometimes they argued, but the arguments were always civil, and they never stopped loving and respecting each other. Mom was never really ready to say goodbye after we lost Dad, so we will celebrate both of their lives at once, which only seems fitting. We will have the memorial service at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 8 at First Baptist Church in Hornbeck. If you’d like to pay your respects, spend time with the family, share stories, see some cool old photos, or just say ‘hello’ you’re invited to join us.
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Previous Events
Memorial
8
Oct
2342 Stillwell Ave.
Hornbeck, LA 71439