Joyce E. Carver

JOYCE E. CARVER Joyce Elaine (Howay) Carver, age 83, of Marshall, died at Marshall Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Sunday afternoon, October 29, 2006. Joyce was born on April 9, 1923 in Saginaw to Earl and Esther (Saul) Howay. She moved to Marshall with her family when she was a child. During the Depression years, the family returned to the Saginaw-Sanford area . They did return to Marshall when she was 13 years old, and she has lived here since. Joyce attended Marshall schools, and was a member of the Marshall High School graduation class of 1941. After that she graduated from Cleary Business College in Ypsilanti. Joyce first met Richard W. Carver when she was 13 years old and they were attending school together. They were married on May 28, 1942 in Marshall. As many women of her generation did, Joyce kept the home fires burning while her husband Dick served with the military during WWII. She retired from the Calhoun County Juvenile Court in the mid-1970''s, where she had served as the court reporter for Judge''s Mary Coleman and John Brundage . Prior to that she had worked at the Marshall High School Cafeteria for four years. Joyce''s children remember her most important job, that of wife and mother. They recall her literally working from when she first woke until she went to bed each and every day. The only real time off she took was when she was in the ninth month of each of her seven pregnancies, and she allowed herself the occasional luxury of setting down for a lot of that last month! She always took great interest in her children''s activities, and as a result of that volunteered for Campfire Girls as a leader. Joyce did genealogical research professionally for many families. For many years she was the main tour guide for Marshall''s Historical Society, boarding many visiting buses to give guided tours of Marshall. Joyce and Dick visited all 50 states and 32 countries in their travels. Joyce enjoyed quilting. While visiting Venice she was enchanted by floor tiles in St. Mark''s Cathedral and seeing an interesting pattern present in a church, came home and designed her own pattern. It became a recognized pattern in a Spinning Spools Quilt Book. Husband Dick has authored the acknowledged books of Marshall''s history. Joyce assisted him with contributions and proof reading skills. Dick dedicated his first book "A History of Marshall" to her referring to her as "his wife, secretary, friend , and companion for the last fifty years..". Surviving are her husband Richard W. "Dick" Carver; their children, Raymond (Barbara) Carver , John (Carolyn) Carver, and Susan (William) VanZandt all of Marshall, Jari (Carl) Smith of Saline, Cathy Carver of New York City, and Joseph (Jennifer) Carver of Sherwood; 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren; her brothers, Dale Howay of Battle Creek and Keith Howay of New York state ; and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Cynthia Jean Carver at birth, her brother Delos Howay, and nephew Neil Howay. Friends may call at Craig K. Kempf Funeral Home on Thursday, November 2, from 9AM to 8PM, where family will be present to greet friends and share memories from 2PM to 4PM and 6PM to 8PM. Graveside services will be held in Oakridge Cemetery with Rev. Ryan Powell officiating on Friday, November 3, at 11AM. Friends who wish may make memorial contributions to American Diabetes Association. Assistance with memorials is available at Kempf Funeral Home.