Joyce Marie Wilson Forgason

JOYCE FORGASON was born on October 6, 1928 to Elsie and James Wilson in Decatur, Texas. Her father was a dairyman and milked Jersey and Holstein cows. She was blessed with two excellent parents. She attended school in Greenwood, Texas in a class of nine (9) students, graduating high school there in 1946. Four years later, a surprise was announced that she was having a baby sister they named Trudy. Joyce was the oldest of five (5) children, with three (3) boys and two (2) girls. After graduating high school, Joyce attended North Texas College to study home economics. After her first year of college, she ran out of money and had to return home. To earn money, she taught school in Greenwood, the same school she had just graduated high school from, one year earlier.  As a  determined oldest child, she was not too be denied the opportunity to finish college.  As the oldest child in her family, she actually taught one of her younger brothers Gaylen in 4th grade. After a year of teaching school at Greenwood, she returned to college at North Texas State and continued to pay her way through school working at various jobs. She was a determined young woman and graduated in 1950 with a degree in Home Economics. Her parents were so proud of Joyce’s graduation, as they both were only able to have a 8 th grade education. Joyce then was looking for work and took a job in Wharton, Texas with the Wharton County Extension Agency working with local 4-H Clubs. Joyce met her husband to be, James Forgason, upon attending her first church service at Abell Street Church of Christ, shortly after arriving in Wharton. Upon her entrance into the Church on that 1^st Sunday, James took notice of Joyce… and immediately found her “very beautiful and attractive”,  In spite of a significant age difference (James was 17, and Joyce 22), James endeavored to sit next to Joyce in Church on more than one occasion, only to have her move down the pew to keep her distance. After a year and a half of persistent effort, James finally secured a date with Joyce. Their first date was to the Plaza Movie Theatre on the town square in Wharton to see “Singing in the Rain”. Joyce said James ”held her hand“ during the entire movie. James graduated from Wharton High School and left for College Station, Texas where he attended Texas A&M University and joined the Aggie Corps of 6,000 Cadets. Although James was so young, Joyce always said that he was “so much more mature than all the other boys she had dated”.  After dating for 18 months, Joyce and James were married by Leon Locke on May 30, 1953 in the Abell Street Church of Christ, where they first met three (3) years earlier. Joyce and James made their first home outside of College Station in a 33 foot truck van his father Lanier Forgason had converted to a trailer home. One of their first disagreements as a married couple involved placement of the refrigerator in their humble bus-trailer. James wanted it in the center of the main room, but Joyce would not budge and she eventually won out. While James was completing Vet School, Joyce taught home economics in the nearby town of North Zulch, to help support his education.  After four years of marriage, their first child, Burt Lanier Forgason, was born on January 9, 1957. That same year, James graduated from Texas A&M as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. While still a senior in Vet School, James noticed that Winthrop Rockefeller had put a notice on the vet school bulletin board looking to hire a Vet for his Santa Gertrudis Ranch on Petit Jean Mountain in Morrilton, Arkansas. James applied for the job and was hired, and moved his young family to Arkansas. It was there that their 2^nd child was born, Mark James Forgason, in 1959. After five years of rewarding work at Winrock Farms,  James and Joyce moved their family back to Hungerford, Texas in Wharton County, to help manage the Forgason and Koonce Division of J.D. Hudgins. Joyce and James remained in the Hungerford area on his family’s ranch the remainder of their married life.

 All who knew Joyce, knew that she loved baby ducklings. Every year for almost 20 or 30 yrs, she ordered 6-8 baby ducks or hatched eggs in a incubator and raised them on her porch.  After they had grown she would  release them into the small pond in the front of her house. Reflecting on her love for ducks, with the help of her niece Jamie Williams, they wrote a children’s book titled “On Omie’s Pond” about a duckling named “Lulu”, which she had published to the delight of her grandchildren and family.

Joyce’s life was anchored in her Christian faith. When Joyce was 12 yrs old a Christian revival was held at a nearby town near Greenwood TX , and she committed her life to Christ and was baptized in a nearby cattle water trough.  She remained committed to Christ all the days of her life and inspired others to do the same. 

Joyce was a very loyal and faithful wife that supported her husband James in all his endeavors. She gave her two boys unconditional love and affection, that was never questioned. She loved spending time with her two grandchildren, Ashley and James, and two great grandchildren, Halley and young Harrison.   She was a great wife, mother, and grandmother and how blessed we all were to have her fill those roles so lovingly.

She will be greatly missed, but are inspired by her faithful Christ based life, we witnessed daily . Her Family has no doubt that she is in her new heavenly home looking down at the family left behind, encouraging them to keep the faith and someday join her there.

On their “First date” to a movie (Joyce 23 yo and James 17 yo},  Joyce reported that James held her hand the entire movie……

On their “Last date“, February 24, 2024, some 72 yrs later (Joyce 95 and James 89), said their last good bye once again , holding each others hand. 

Joyce is survived by her husband of 70+ years, James, her two sons Burt Forgason and Mark Forgason, grandchildren Ashley Forgason Willis (Bo) and James Alexander Forgason, great grandchildren Halley Willis and Harrison Willis, and her sister Trudy Williams (Ernie). Joyce was predeceased by her parents Elsie and James Wilson, her brothers Gaylen, Rodney and Darrell, and her daughter in law Dianne Forgason.

The Forgason Family wants to express to Teresa Campos how grateful we are for  the excellent professional and loving care that Joyce received  in these last years of her life. Teresa has been a blessing sent from above to all the Forgason Family. We are forever thankful!

We also want to thank Susan Wilbeck for her special friendship with our Mother and all her help taking her to Doctor appointments.

Services will be held on 3/7/2024 at 10 am at Abell Street Church of Christ with visitation in annex following services.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests, with gratitude, that Memorial contributions made in Joyces name be directed to: The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Houston Gulf Coast Foundation, 1776 Yorktown, Suite 560, Houston, Texas 77056 or the charity of your choice.