Obituary of Joyce Ellen Grice Wright

Joyce Ellen Grice Wright, 76, died June 3, 2021 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Richard Leonard Grice and Edna Pringle Wilson Grice on December 27, 1944. She attended Maury High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia, graduating in 1962. Upon returning to Philadelphia to attend the University of Pennsylvania, she was introduced to her husband, William "Bill" George Wright, a student at Virginia Polytechnical Institute, through her cousin Gary Wilson. The two married on October 10, 1964 in Oreland, Pennsylvania and began a life that included four children and took them to over a dozen different states throughout the United States with Bill's career in the Veterans Administration Hospital System. As they moved across the United States, Joyce continued her education at the University of Nebraska and soon became a professional tax preparer. This career allowed her to maintain her professional skills as the family transferred across the country. She was literally processing her last tax returns from her bed on May 17, 2021.Although, she had not traveled outside of North America until her 25th wedding anniversary, Joyce soon made up for lost time. Her four children lived and worked across the globe, affording her and Bill the opportunity to visit them from Europe to Asia and all points in between. She traveled to over fifty countries and instilled her passion for exploration with her grandchildren, often taking them along for the ride. She particularly loved exploring beaches, amassing an amazing shell collection. Her other interest was collecting turn-of-the-century sterling silver spoons, a lost art. Joyce was a member of multiple regional spoon collector's clubs and served as a newsletter editor for over twenty-five years.Joyce is survived by her husband, Bill; children, Anja (Frank), Geoff, Thomas (Jeannie), and Megan; grandchildren, Liam, Ceara, Gavin, and Caleb; and Jeannie's children, Taylor, Jazzmyn (Alex), and Jaylen; cousins in the Tidewater Area, Lance Ostlund, Nancy Ostlund Carr, Stefanie Bradshaw Prater, Aidan and Kellan. To honor her wishes and capture her spirit, the family is hosting a Celebration of Life ceremony on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the town of Duck over Thanksgiving Week 2021. We request that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or CaringBridge.org in Joyce's memory.