Joyce Arlene (Blickenstaff) Corwin went to be with her Lord peacefully on Saturday, March 5, 2016 at the LTC in Quinter, KS. She was 88 years of age. She was born on January 29, 1928 to Carl and Pauline (Smith) Blickenstaff in Quinter, Kansas.
Joyce attended all of her school years in the Quinter school system and graduated from Quinter High School in 1946.
Joyce was united in marriage to Merlin (Bub) Corwin in 1946 at Columbus, Kansas. They lived in both Emporia, Kansas and Hays, Kansas while Bub was in college. Bub and Joyce moved to Quinter, Kansas in 1949 where they lived the rest of their lives. Bub passed away in 1999.
Joyce was a member of the Quinter United Methodist Church where she celebrated her faith. Joyce loved her Lord and Savior and had great joy in sharing Him any way she was given an opportunity to do so. For many years, Joyce taught children’s Sunday school, attended adult Sunday school classes, taught vacation Bible school, directed the Christmas program, and was active in the United Methodist Women. She especially cherished sharing the gift of the cross and the message that “He Arose.” Another joy of Joyce’s was helping to organize and participate in the Prayer and Praise group at Gove County Long Term Care Center (LTC) for over 20 years.
Time spent in several social clubs in Quinter, the Stitch and Chatter Club, Gyne Fealti, and the Widows Night Out Club, provided special friendships through the years. As a volunteer member of the Hospital Auxiliary, Joyce helped run the gift shop and multiple other jobs around the hospital. She also served as a member of the Hospital Endowment Committee for many years.
Joyce assisted her husband, Bub, in managing and operating the Q-Inn Restaurant for a number of years. She then worked at Ray’s Pharmacy for several years. In 1977, Bub and Joyce moved to the Blickenstaff farm and eventually took over the operation from Carl and Pauline In 1999, Bub passed away, however, Joyce continued to live on the farm until 2015. At that time, she moved to the LTC in Quinter where she extended her kind-hearted ways and positive attitude to the other residents and staff. They all became an important part of her new stage in life. Joyce enjoyed gardening, especially caring for the 100-year-old asparagus patch. She also maintained her rhubarb patch, which provided enough for her to make her well-known homemade rhubarb ice cream. She also planted and cared for numerous flowerbeds, especially enjoying the lilies. She loved being outside as much as possible as the caretaker of the farmstead, including plants, trees, cats, and other animals.
Joyce and Bub were blessed with five children: James and wife Carolyn, Buhler, KS; Virginia and husband David Hefner, Hays, KS; Donald, Quinter, KS; Richard and wife Mary, Quinter, KS; and Robert and wife Jayme, Quinter, KS.
Eight grandchildren blessed Joyce and Bub’s life with laughter, love, and incredible memories. Many of those special times were when grandchildren spent time at the farm during the summer. Grandchildren include: Kristen and husband Jeff Wright; Jennifer and husband Justin Wood; Samantha and husband Faron Kraft; Jay and wife Becca Corwin; Sadie Corwin; Cody, Marissa, and Colton Corwin.
There were 11 great grandchildren, including: Tyler, Kayla, Natalie, and Lydia Wright; Miles, Olivia, and Crosby Wood; Teron, Triston, and Tera Kraft; and Mabyn Corwin.
Joyce left a positive impression on all that she met. She was a loving wife, cherished mother, fun-loving grandmother, and kind-hearted great grandmother. In addition, close relationships with cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends were very important to her.
And, as we all know Joyce, she would have wanted her life, her relationships, and her memorial to provide another opportunity to reach anyone who had not accepted Jesus as his or her savior. That is an immense part of her legacy for all of us. As she often said, “God so loved” and “Praise the Lord”.
A memorial service will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 12, 2016 at the United Methodist Church, Quinter. An intimate private family burial will take place prior to services.
Visitation will be Friday, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home in Quinter.
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions may be given to the Quinter United Methodist Church and the Gove County Medical Center Auxiliary. Contributions may be left at the service or sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 901 South Main, Quinter, KS 67752.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.schmittfuneral.com.