Joyce Cooper

Joyce Ann Cooper was a woman who had a fierce heart, a non-stop personality, and an easy-going air about her. She was a hard worker who loved to do things for, and be around those she loved. Joyce was a unique woman who lived a wonderfully rich life. In a time when the world was settling into its economic security, many creative endeavors were popping up all over. Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarves made the big screen for the first time, Diesel engines were being mass-produced by General Motors, and even Teflon was invented. But even though all this hustle and bustle was going on, it meant little to one family in Rockford, Michigan. Charles and Eleanor (Lang) Marshall were thrilled with their baby girl, and her arrival on the 17th of January, of course, took up most of their attention. Joyce was a wonderful child, determined and strong. She was a good sister to her brother Robert and the two of them were brought up in a loving household. She was diagnosed with polio early on, which caused her spine to develop improperly, resulting in severe back pain for the rest of her life. Joyce had to learn to be tough to continue to live the life she wanted. It was a struggle that she was determined to get past. She joined the marching band in high school and she even earned the right to be a majorette. Quite talented, she made the crowds cheer in awe when she twirled her fire batons with grace and skill. Joyce attended Muskegon schools all her life, until she was a senior in high school, the school districts changed and she finished school at Ravenna, and graduated there. Soon, Joyce married a man named Lee Kenstner and together they started a family. They had two children, Mark and Bambi . After some years they got a divorce and although Lee remained close with his children, it became time for Lee and Joyce to move on apart from each other. One fateful day in 1975 Joyce was cruising in her cool white van, when she passed a man in an orange van. He caught her eye, and the rest became history: they met, talked, and quickly fell in love. His name was Ron, and he always said that he was the lucky one. His orange van was re-dubbed the love van, and love van it was, the two got married December 16, 1978 at Wolf Lake Methodist Church. They opted for a small ceremony but it was so quaint and sweet that the children still remember it fondly to this day. They extended their family with another son, named Shane. As a child, her youngest, Shane, was a handful to say the least. He was always getting into some kind of mischief and he had loads of energy. Finally he found that he was very musically inclined. Although this focused his spiritedness, it also brought the sounds of a musician-in-training all throughout the house. Noise from the trumpet to the piano filled every corner, but Shane was quite talented. He loved to sing and play the piano, and through all the noise and trials of learning these instruments, Joyce stood by him. She was a proud mother who loved her children dearly and always supported them. Joyce was a hard worker, and she absolutely loved to clean. She got a job as a cleaning lady for the radio station, Sunny 104.5, where she worked for many years. She had always had cleaning jobs, but this one in particular was special. Not only did she clean, she was a radio personality! She did the weather for 104.5 until another company bought them out. She had such a distinctive throaty voice and did such a perfect job, that shed be asked for her autograph on occasion. Her stage name was, unsurprisingly, the cleaning lady. When she wasnt working she always made time for her family. They would spend their summers camping out on the Muskegon River and go salmon fishing. When Ron would come back from work some days, she would have already caught the limit for both of them! Theyd have to simply go home so she could clean her catch and begin the next day! Joyce also loved to can things. She canned salmon, turkey legs, and all kinds of vegetables. She often had at least 100 jars of canned salmon on her shelves. Even when her kids were grown shed can, and she would send Bambi home with canned meals all the time! When she wasnt spending her time cleaning, canning or fishing, she could be found shopping with Bambi or watching the QVC or the Home Shopping Network. She would call Bambi and have her turn on the television if there was something spectacular being shown. Joyce loved her jewelry. Joyce also loved being a grandmother, when Shane had a boy, Austin, she and Bambi loved to take him on trips and just enjoy each others company. Once they went to Binder Park Zoo, and a baby giraffe kissed Austin! She loved that day especially, but Joyce just got so much enjoyment out of her children and grandchildren that she could be doing anything at all. She and Ron spent many fabulous years together. He had gotten her a golf cart and she loved to zoom around their property in it. Her back had gotten harder to bear in her later years and this was a tremendous help. Ron also helped her by planting the flowers she no longer could, under her supervision. Seeing the flowers always made her so happy, and the fact that Ron was willing to be there for her only made their relationship stronger. One of Joyce's best moments was winning a custom chopper at the Little River Casino at the age of 68. Joyces hair was one particularly special thing about her. When she was young, it was so dark it was nearly black, but as she got older it began turning grayer and grayer. Soon it had turned to a full head of gorgeous silvery-white hair. She was so proud of it; she had naturally what others would pay good money to have done. She didnt dye it anything else, she just kept it its beautiful, genuine color. This reflected her personality as well, honest and wonderful, untouched, unaided. Joyce died Thursday, July 31, 2008. She was a wonderful woman with a fantastically colorful personality. She loved people, and she loved life. She knew how to make the most out of whatever she had, and she got great pleasure out of making people happy. She was truly a one-of-a-kind woman who could never be replaced. Joyces family members include: Husband, Ronald; 3 children, Mark Allan (Wendy) Derby of Norton Shores, Bambi Lee (Charles) Rinehart of Muskegon, & Shane Keith Cooper of Oceana; 2 grandchildren, Nicole Austin Derby & Austin Michael Goldberg. She is also survived by her first husband, Lee Kenstner of Muskegon, of many years. Along with family pet, Sasha. Friends may spend time with Joyces family on Wednesday, August 6, 2008, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Wolf Lake United Methodist Church. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. at the same location. Please visit Joyces personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can sign the online guest book, archive a favorite memory or make a memorial donation to the Noah Project.