Joyce C. Graves

Joyce Clare Graves, beloved matriarch, devoted Catholic, and the warm center of a wonderfully large and boisterous family, passed peacefully into eternal life on the morning of Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Carmel, Indiana, surrounded by her children. She was 90 years old –and every one of those years was lived with grace, laughter, faith, a feisty spirit, and an open heart.

Born on December 19, 1935, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, to Winfred and Mary Laundrie, Joyce grew up in a family that instilled in her the values she would carry throughout her life: faith, generosity, and a deep love for the people around her. She carried those gifts forward—multiplying them many times over through the family she built and the community she served.

A woman of ambition and spirit, Joyce attended airline school in Kansas City, Missouri, and launched her career working for Delta Air Lines—a chapter of her life she carried with quiet pride. In later years she brought that same dedication to her work as a Pharmacy Technician, first at Low-Cost Rx, then at St. Francis Hospital, where her warmth touched patients and colleagues alike.

Joyce’s Catholic faith was not simply a part of her life—it was the heartbeat of it. She was a woman who never met a Mass she couldn’t attend, and her faith was as natural and constant as breathing. It shaped how she loved, how she served, and how she faced every season of life.

Her volunteer spirit was legendary. Whether she was donating her time at The Indiana State Museum, the Southside Art League, Meals on Wheels, rolling up her sleeves for a special community event, or delivering Communion to the housebound, Joyce gave generously—and she made sure that spirit of service passed on to her children and great-grandchildren. She was an accomplished artist whose paintings hung in galleries throughout the region, as well as in many of her friends and family’s homes. She golfed alongside her beloved husband Bobby, and she poured her creativity into everything she touched.

And then there were her fifteen minutes of fame: Joyce appeared as a contestant on the television program “I’ve Got A Secret”—her secret being that she had broken both of her kneecaps doing the Twist. Only Joyce could turn that into a story worth telling on national television!

Above all else, Joyce lived for her family. The noise, the laughter, the ever-growing crowd of children, grandchildren, spouses, and great-grandchildren—all of it was her greatest joy. She didn’t just tolerate the chaos of a large family; she treasured every beautiful, loud, love-filled moment of it.

Joyce was welcomed into Heaven by her beloved Husband, Charles O. “Bobby” Graves; her parents Winfred and Mary Laundrie of Green Bay, Wisconsin; her brothers Robert, Myron, Lloyd, and Jim; her sister Marian; her precious great-granddaughter Annelyse Willsey; her grand-daughter-in-law Jennifer Willsey; stepdaughter Laurie Graves; and C. Brent Stewart.

Joyce is survived by her six cherished children: Leslie (Bob) Willsey, Steve (Dia) Stewart, Bill (Susan) Stewart, Kathy Stewart, Sheryl (Don) Lesem, Cindy (John) Franz; her grandchildren Brian (Nabeela), Brad (Samantha), Blake, Shane (Stephanie), Kyle (Leslie), Cody (Diana), Patrick (Danielle), Emily, Alex (Isabella), Elisabeth, Sam (Molly), Heidi, and Hannah; and her fifteen treasured great-grandchildren, who knew her as the very best kind of great-grandmother.

“Well done, Good and Faithful servant.” --Matthew 25:23

Please join us as we honor Joyce's memory. Visitation will be Thursday, April 23, 2026 from 10am to 11am at Holy Spirit Parish at Geist (10350 Glaser Way, Fishers, IN 46037). Funeral Mass will be held at 11am. Joyce will be laid to rest at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Cemetery.