Contributions to the tribute of Joyce Marie Harper

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In Memory of

Joyce Marie Harper

1944 - 2017

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Saturday

December

Memorial Service

3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Saturday, December 16, 2017

University United Methodist Church

150 E. Franklin Street

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

919-929-7191

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Saturday

December

Reception

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Saturday, December 16, 2017

University United Methodist Church

150 E. Franklin Street

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

919-929-7191

Immediately following the Memorial Service

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Rachel Morton posted a condolence

Thursday, February 8, 2018

2 Corinthians 1:3,4 gives us the assurance that "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies" is "the God of all comfort" and he "comforts us in all our trials". Please accept my sincere condolences. Always remember God you and he cares for you! (Psalm 36:7; Psalm 147:3)

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Betsy Crittenden posted a condolence

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Steve - I am deeply saddened about Joyce's passing. I enjoyed the many conversations we had with you both and your anticipation about the move to the Courtyards at Homestead Road, and were so looking forward to having you both as neighbors. Please know we are here for you if you need anything. This is a very caring community of neighbors and friends. I will call on you in the next day or so. Betsy & Bill Crittenden

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Peter Lee posted a condolence

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Stephen, Though I don't believe we have met in person, I am one of your new neighbors in Courtyards at Homestead at 205 Greenway Landing. My wife passed away on June 9, 2017...3 weeks before we closed and were scheduled to move into our, now my, new home. I am so sad to hear of Joyce's passing. I'm glad you have family and friends, and likely other support through Hospice. Please feel free to call/email me. Though I'm in CA, I will return on 1/5 and will try and look you up. Peace be with you. Peter Lee 205 Greenway Landing Chapel Hill, NC 27516 (m)919:903-0014 Email: pelee@bellsouth.net

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Wendy Phillips posted a condolence

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Steve, I am so sorry for your and your family's loss. I couldn't believe it when I read the obituary. Please know that your neighbors from Creekwood will always remember Joyce and what a graceful and kind person she was. Jon also sends his thoughts and prayers. With deepest sympathy, Wendy

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Shirley Sopko posted a condolence

Sunday, December 24, 2017

My deepest condolences to your family. I was a neighbor of Joyce and Steve in Creekwood and always enjoyed seeing Joyce and her bright smile and joyful personality. Thoughts and prayers, Shirley Sopko

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Brenda Jacobs posted a condolence

Saturday, December 16, 2017

Steve, Jill, Stephanie, and family, You all have my deepest heartfelt sympathy today as you celebrate the life of your wife, mother, and grandmother. Joyce was an amazing woman and a light in this world . I will miss her visits to my parents house and her beautiful Christmas cards about your family. Love, Brenda, Jake, Jessica, and Ashley Jacobs

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Michele Bouzout Laverty posted a condolence

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Steve and family, so sorry to hear of cousin Joyce's passing. Always enjoyed our visits and hope that the wonderful memories will carry you through these challenging times. Love Michele and family.

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Stephanie uploaded photo(s)

Sunday, December 10, 2017

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Jody Jarowey posted a condolence

Sunday, December 10, 2017

I didn't have the opportunity to know Joyce very well, but I do know Stephanie and she is the reflection of a wonderful mother! Aside from being beautiful, it seems that Joyce had a gift for raising wonderful children and grandchildren and I know she will be deeply missed.

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Tracy Shaw McDowell posted a condolence

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Dear family and friends, I want you to know that my heart hurts for each and every one of you over the loss of your loved one. I will keep you all in my prayers and ask for God's healing powers to touch you all. Joyce was always smiling every time I was around her, and she was always pleasant to me throughout the years. May you all find your way through the pain, and may you rest in peace Joyce until we all see you again. You will be missed.

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Jill Harper Barham posted a condolence

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Remembrance by Jill Harper Barham We were always lucky to have a truly great Mom who put her family at the center of her heart, thoughts and actions always. She has always made sure that we had everything that we needed to make us happy and to give us confidence and a sense of caring for others, humor and work ethic. She taught us honesty, humor, integrity, adventure and an overwhelming love for family. She has always been a fierce advocate for Steph and me, for Dad and for her grandsons. Always willing to make gluten free, sugar free everything as we needed it. And she was an amazing cook anyway, from the daily healthy meals that she made to her famous beef tenderloin, chicken pasta, fruit and cheese plates, and Austrian pancake. If she and Dad had a party, you definitely wanted to be invited! As a teacher, she was second to none. She chose to work with the most challenging kids with special needs, and gave them an education shaped by her smart, creative, organized and persistent style. Just as she always did for us, she worked tirelessly to give those kids the best education possible. In our family business she was always there to do what was needed in her usual organized fashion, and did it better than anyone else. She was always there for our activities, from Girl Scouts to soccer and tennis and certainly anything school related. We could always count on Mom to be present and supportive. As I became an adult, we became good friends and saw each other and talked on the phone a lot. She was smart and funny and gave great advice. There seemed to be no topic that she didn't know something about. I will miss picking up the phone and talking to her, and sending her texts of what the boys are doing. Living in the same town and having a family business, our lives were very intertwined. She had a big influence on Ben and William, the wonderful smart and caring children they are now, and I'm sure the kind of men they will become. I'm really sad, and I know Mom was too, that she won't have the chance to have that same direct influence on baby girl, but Mom's presence in my life and the boys' lives have shaped us so much that her influence will be greatly felt in baby girl's life also. Grandmommy was always the first person I called to pick up the kids from school or to keep them on a school holiday. The kids loved this. Grandmommy could often be found with the boys at YoPop eating frozen yogurt, or Red Robin for Benjamin's cheeseburger plain, fries, oranges, strawberry lemonade. I can hear her(and I'm sure the boys can too) making them spell out R-E-D R-O-B-I-N to help them learn letters and spelling. During these days, there was always time for "Grandmommy School" where she would teach the boys reading, math and other skills in a way that the boys loved and were really learning. She would send me videos of Benjamin reading and doing math- things that no teacher at school could do, but Grandmommy could. Grandmommy school was so special and will be very much missed! She took the kids on many field trips when I couldn't go, and she was always the first name on our emergency contact list. The second set of school pick up cards just stayed in her car. When Dad and Brandon would go on their week long fishing trips to Brazil, Mom would come stay with the boys and me (and the cat and dog). We all had so much fun and it was so helpful for me especially when the boys were little. The kids will never forget the magic of dying Easter eggs with Grandmommy and the pure joy of Christmas Eve at Grandmommy and Grandpa's house. We will miss swimming and boat rides at the beach, and doing laundry together. Grandmommy will forever air-dry her jeans in heaven. Her loss is deep for them, for all of us, but her imprint is so strong that she will always be a part of the kids' character. Mom and Dad showed us what a strong and solid partnership and marriage is. They were always a team. They were successful in work life and social life. They had a lot of adventure and experiences, lived and visited many places around the world. Mom was cautious and worried about safety, but was also very adventurous. They were world travelers and got to go places and experience things that most people never dream of. I hope that one day I have the chance to travel like my parents did, and to have those amazing life experiences. We love you so much, Mom and Grandmommy and know that her amazing spirit will live on in us and her grandchildren.

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Stephanie Harper Carmody posted a condolence

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Remembrance by Stephanie Harper Carmody People often ask me- how did you do it? How do you manage to be a happy, successful, independent woman when you were born with such a significant disability? Most of the answer is because Joyce Harper was my Mom. In a time before full mainstreaming took hold, in a time before the ADA, she saw me simply as her child who was capable of anything- and she was determined to move mountains to give me the opportunity. She expected no less of me than she did Jill- if I couldn’t play soccer or tennis like Jill, she’d enroll me in art classes, adapted swimming, and Girl Scouts. She taught me there were no limits on what I could achieve, and because she believed, so did I. She didn’t let my neuromuscular diagnosis, braces and walker stop her from bringing us as toddlers through Europe to meet my Dad at each port when he was on a deployment on the Nimitz- she simply carried me on her back with my walker strapped around me and led Jill by the hand. She laughed when Greek women would tell her if she would only let me out of the backpack carrier and walk, that I wouldn’t need my braces, and despite the Greek and Italian food, weighed 90 pounds when we returned home to the US. If something was meaningful to her- there was no question that she would make it happen. The things she cared about most in life were her family, friends, and making life better for the students she taught over her long and varied teaching career. Her legacy will live on in the deaf and hard of hearing students she helped bring up to grade level. It will live on in the special needs preschoolers who she taught the hard fought skills needed to be successful in kindergarten. It will live on in the other mothers she advocated for and with while she raised her own special needs child with both fierce advocacy and grace. It will live on in her grandchildren- her grandsons who knew the magic of Grandmommy school, shared Red Robin lunches followed by YoPop, Austrian pancake on Christmas Eve morning, and the warmth of her hugs. Her legacy will live on in the granddaughter she so desperately wanted to meet. We will teach her all about who her Grandmommy was and how much her Grandmommy loved her. How do you say goodbye to the person who gave you life, the person who lived with you at the hospital through every surgery, who fought to get you mainstreamed into your neighborhood kindergarten, who fiercely advocated for you to keep you healthy and make sure you had every opportunity possible, the person who taught you how to advocate for yourself and others, who taught you how to teach, who taught you how to love, the person who helped give you away at your wedding, the person you talked to on the phone every night, the person who if she wasn’t your Mom would still be your best friend? I think the answer is I don’t have to- she’s a part of me and I’ll always carry her with me. I am overwhelmingly grateful that she was my Mom and will miss her every day.

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Steve and Connie Mitchell posted a condolence

Saturday, December 9, 2017

We would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of Joyce Harper. May God comfort you and give you strength in the coming days. Blessings from the Mitchell Family (Steve and Connie), Carolina Beach, NC

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The family of Joyce Marie Harper uploaded a photo

Thursday, December 7, 2017

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