Joy Fern Desha

Joy Fern DeSha, 77, of Amarillo, TX passed away on November 19, 2022.

The family will receive friends from 4:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M., Monday, November 21, 2022, at Boxwell Brothers Funeral Home, 2800 Paramount Blvd. Graveside services will be at 11:00 A.M., Tuesday, November 22, 2022, at Memory Gardens Cemetery with Dr. G. A. Roach officiating. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, Amarillo.

Joy was born in Littlefield, TX on December 5, 1944, to Sarah Wauneta and John Forrest Cole. She married Jerry DeSha on June 5, 1964, in Olton, TX. She received her master’s degree in education and worked as a teacher at Highland Park Elementary for many years and at Carver Academy until her retirement in 2021. Joy was a Master Gardener, a former member of the Archeological Society, named A.I.S.D. Teacher of the Year and a reading and speech specialist. She loved teaching, gardening, baking and Korean television melodramas; but she loved her family most of all. She was affectionately known as MeMe to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and husband, Jerry DeSha on August 5, 2009.

Survivors include her sister, Shirley Kimbrough of Spearman, TX; her two sons, Johnny D. DeSha and wife Jerry of Portales, NM, and Craig L. DeSha and wife Tammy of Amarillo, TX; her six grandchildren, John Forrest DeSha and fiancée Jessica Dolan, Sarah Nicole Smeal and husband Anthony, Madison Leigh Wetmore and husband Joshua, Lacie Perez and husband Mike, David Joe Carranza and wife Shasta, and Shelby DeSha; and her twelve great-grandchildren.