Biography: Joy Virginia Joiner Day was the youngest and only girl born to the loving parents of Henry Wesley Joiner and Gertrude Courtney-Mae Joiner. She entered this world on July 17, 1925 in Cleveland, Tennessee joining her brother, Joseph Lee who was nine years her senior.

Joy’s father was a minister in the AME Church so she often moved from place to place but she remembered school in Barboursville, Kentucky and she was the valedictorian graduated at fourteen from Dunbar High School in Mayfield, Kentucky. She then joined her brother at Wilberforce University where she became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Inc.

Joy met Leslie Webb Day in the 1950’s at a Jackie Robinson baseball game and he courted her across country. They were married and had four children: Leslie, Sheri, David and Sidne and she raised her husband’s son Richard for sometime.

Joy and Les were progressive even then and she and her husband decided to be part of the great migration during the 60’s so that “my children won’t have to sit at separate lunch counters” they came east, she paved the way coming first.

Joy was one of the first key punch operators working for many different companies that were sophisticated enough to have computers at the time. She went to work every day in high heels hats and gloves. She came home and ran a house, their store, loved her children and directed the choir at church. She was always busy.

She retired from Chemical Bank in 1986 went back to Bowling Green, Ky to settle down with her husband and opened up three antique stores all while being an active member of Taylor Chapel AME until she was old enough to be considered Mother of the Church. She came back to New York to live her final years with her daughter, Leslie.

Joy lived a wonderful life. She loved the Lord and loved to pray; her favorite solution was prayer. She could cut a rug on the dance floor and loved glitter and rhinestones. She loved life.

Preceding her to heaven were: her husband, Leslie; her son, David; her daughter, Sidne; four grandchildren: David Jr. Day, Marie Day, Herbert and Rebecca Coombs; one great-grandchild, Daniel Isaiah Serrano and her parents.

She leaves behind: her daughters, Leslie and Sheri; her granddaughters: Kendra Day Hernandez, Yolanda Crowe, Jeryl Serrano, Ramon Serrano, Issaque Serrano; great-grandchildren: Mariano, Christian, Nichols, Hernandez, Sara Crowe, Noah Crowe, Michelle Day, Joshua Brent and Iliana Long; sons-in-law: James Dawson and Max Hernandez.

Joy lived a God-fearing, God-seeking life. She was strong, beautiful, kind and loving. She endured a great deal and she did so with grace. She was ready to go with her Lord—she’d had a conversation with him, she informed us she would not be here much longer and then she was gone. She was greatly loved and she will be greatly missed.