Joyce Beatrice Kallin Attebury

Joyce Beatrice Kallin Attebury passed away on December 14, 2024, surrounded by her devoted family and caregivers. 

Memorial services will be held at Polk Street Methodist Church, 1401 S. Polk Street in Amarillo on Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 11:00 am. Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount, Amarillo, TX 79109.

Joyce was born on July 28, 1930, in Ft Dodge Iowa to Grace and Anton Kallin. She met W.H. (Bill) Attebury while at the University of Iowa and continued her studies at the University of Oklahoma before their marriage in 1951. They were married for 59 years before Bill's death in 2010.

Joyce was a devout Christian pursuing the daily meaning of the scriptures as she went about all her life’s interests, be it tennis, golf, needlepoint, duplicate bridge, singing in the choir or her family. She and Bill spent many happy months in Phoenix pursuing those interests when the Panhandle weather turned cold. 

Joyce was a member of the Junior League of Amarillo, the Garden Club of the Junior League and the Amarillo Symphony Guild. She served as a volunteer, (a Candy Striper as they were known then), for many years at the BSA Hospital.

With her husband, she made her home in Amarillo and raised five children. They are Anne Thanhouser, Billy Attebury (Julie), Nancy Umphres (Phillip) and Ed Attebury (Angela). Joyce enjoyed her thirteen grandchildren, entertaining them during the holidays and taking them on wonderful excursions, sometimes with their parents in tow and sometimes, bravely, with just Bill and herself. Her grandchildren are Ed Thanhouser (Molly), Spencer Thanhouser (Maria), Bill Thanhouser (Kristine), Michael Thanhouser, Elaine Perez (Andy), John Attebury (Alejandra), Will Umphres (Louisa), Chris Umphres (Eleanor), Brian Umphres (Elizabeth), Jackie Dodgen (Phillip), Sam Attebury, Charles Attebury and Hugh Attebury. She also has fifteen great grandchildren and counting, plus many nieces and nephews. 

She was preceded in death by her husband Bill, daughter Libby Dodgen, great grandson Otto, her brother Eddie, who died in WWII, and two sisters, Micki (Marguerite) Hess and Terry Kesler.

Joyce and Bill supported many philanthropic causes, starting the WTAMU Attebury Honors program in 2007 to provide a student-centered enriched learning community for undergraduates including research, study abroad, internship and mentoring. They were members of the WTAMU Foundation and were inducted into the Old Main Society for the establishment of the Arnold Gentry & Vivian Dunn Attebury Memorial Scholarship in Education and were also founders of an Endowed Professorship in Medical Education named in honor of Dr. Steve Urban at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Medical School. They supported the Amarillo Symphony for many years. Joyce enjoyed concerts as long as she was physically able to attend and donated to the building fund for the Globe News Center. The Amarillo Botanical Gardens Arboretum was a favorite project as well. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials can be made to the Attebury Honors Program at WTAMU, WTAMU Box 60766, Canyon, TX 79016 or the Amarillo Botanical Gardens Arboretum, 1400 Streit Dr., Amarillo, TX 79106