Joyce Kooi

Joyce Kooi was a wonderful woman, a woman of uncommon compassion, integrity, and love. She loved so many things in her life, from her porcelain doll collection, to movies, to animals of all kinds, to most of all, her beloved family. She was a woman who kept an immaculately clean home, believing everything should be in its place. Today her place remains in the hearts and minds of all who knew her. Joyce's story began on a cold winter day in 1931, in the beachfront town of Muskegon, Michigan. Those were such dark days in this country, as the grip of the Great Depression tightened around so many Americans, and nearly a quarter of the country was unemployed. Yet for Frank Boyd and Kate (Williams) Taylor, 1931 brought cause for celebration as it drew to a close. On December 11, 1931, a frosty Friday in Muskegon, they celebrated the birth of their third child, a beautiful baby girl they named Agnes Joyce Taylor. Little "Agnes" was named after a kind woman her father worked with at Continental Motors, who he promised if he had another girl, he'd name after her. Little Agnes finally arrived to join sisters Millie and Betty Jean in the family home on Jackson Hill, and later her little brother, Roy Lockard. Joyce, as she went by her whole life, grew up very close with her older sisters. Millie fondly remembers the three girls doing the dishes in the kitchen, operating like an assembly line, one washing, one drying and one putting them away, all three singing in harmony the whole while! Joyce led a typically active youth, and enjoyed roller skating, dancing, and ice skating in the wintertime, and later in life enjoyed bowling, too. Like so many young girls back then, Joyce grew up fast. One day she met a handsome young man named Donald Kooi, and the two clicked, and soon fell in love. They were married in Muskegon on November 6, 1948, just a month before she turned 17! It wasn't long before the new wife and husband became mother and father, as well. The young couple was soon blessed with the birth of their daughter Betty, in 1949, while their son Larry was born in 1957, and son Jeff rounding out the happy family in 1961. Joyce was a wonderful wife and mother, who worked hard to help provide the best for her family. She took jobs working second shift at a variety of retail stores, most memorably at the Spartan Department Store on Henry. Her children fondly remember driving up to her workplace for her lunch break (their dinner) and going out to eat at Sorrento's. Eventually, Joyce left the department store and worked in manufacturing, with the last 20 years working for Howmet Corporation. There she became very active and passionately involved with the UAW Local 1234, as well as the Democratic Party. She served as Shop Steward, representing her union on trips to Washington D.C. many times before she retired in 1993. She loved being a part of the union because it gave her the chance to help people, and because she believed it to be the right thing to do, which is the way she lived her whole life. Joyce's work ethic extended far beyond her workplace, though. As hard as she worked outside the home, she worked equally hard to maintain a spotless house. Her kids laugh about the times they'd invite their friends over, when Joyce would generously fix them sandwiches, and then wipe up the crumbs with a dish rag while they were still eating! Her sister Millie remembers smoking cigarettes in Joyce's kitchen, and when she'd go to put one out, find that Joyce had already cleaned the ashtray and put it away! That was just Joyce, though. Everything had its place, its purpose, and her purpose was to help those in need. One day a finch flew into her window, breaking its wing. Joyce lovingly nursed it back to health, and kept it as a pet for nine years. She'd let it out of its cage and play with it, and give it baths, or set the birdcage on the steps so it could be near the other birds. She also loved her dogs, so dearly, and spoiled them like children. When one of her dogs died, she'd bury them out back with their own memorial plaques, each with a special place in her heart. She especially loved her current dogs, Coco and Muffin, and loved to take them for car rides with her, or to Mr. Quik's for some hamburgers! Joyce loved many things, though. After her beloved Don died, she began collecting knickknacks, especially porcelain dolls, and her collection numbered hundreds. She also loved movies, particularly scary movies, and her movie collection was beyond compare, with more than 2,000 lining her shelves! That was Joyce, though, when she loved something, she did so deeply, and whole-heartedly. She loved so many of us that way, and in her own way. She believed that everything had its place, and its purpose. Today her place remains in the hearts and minds of all who knew her. She will be greatly missed. KOOI, MRS. A. JOYCE Muskegon Mrs. A. Joyce Kooi, age 74, died Friday, October 13, 2006. She was born in Muskegon on December 11, 1931 to Frank Boyd & Kate (Williams) Taylor and married Donald F. Kooi on November 6, 1948. She was a laborer at Howmet for 20 years until retiring in 1993. She was a member of Local UAW #1234, loved gardening, movies, and collecting videotapes, porcelain dolls, flowers, and many other knick knacks. SURVIVORS 2 sons, Larry Kooi and Jeff (Tina) Kooi, and 1 daughter, Betty (Ron) Mezeske, all of Muskegon; 8 grandchildren; 6 great-grand-children; sister, Mildred Misch of Muskegon; sister-in-law, Betty Dobberstein; brother-in-law, Jack (Aileen) Kooi of FL; nieces and nephews; 3 special friends, Kathy Torrenga, Flossie Carroll, and Dawn Baker; and 2 beloved dogs, Coco and Muffin. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, brother, Roy Lockard, and sister, Betty Jean Taylor. VISITATION Visitation will be held on Monday, October 16, 200, 5 - 8 PM, at Clock Lifestory Funeral Home with a special time of remembrance at 7 PM. Interment at Sunrise Memorial Gardens. MEMORIAL: Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.