It looks like you are viewing this on a mobile device. Would you like to use the mobile version? No thanks.
It looks like your device can support the full version of the site. Would you like to view that instead? No thanks.
Email to a friend Tweet This Send to Facebook Share on Google+
  Login
Joycelyn Murray
December 30, 1944 - February 6, 2013
Return to the Memorial Getting Started Administration Inbox  
Return to Getting Started  
Return to the Memorial Help Extend the Memorial Order a Keepsake Book  
Obituary Biography Eulogy Family Tree Life Stories Photos Media Guestbook Contribute
<div itemprop="description"> <p> </p> <p> The story of Joycelyn Lidora Murray begins in the tropical paradise of St. Thomas, Jamaica in 1944.&nbsp; Joycelyn was born on December 30th, the 5th of 8 children to Clifford Williams and Clementine Scott.&nbsp; </p> <p> The farming rural community in which Joycelyn grew up was rich with agricultural trade. Her household provided cows, goats, bananas, yam, cocoa, breadfruit etc. for the surrounding community.&nbsp; It was my mom&rsquo;s chore to fetch water for the family from the nearby river. &nbsp;Joyce&rsquo;s siblings Elizabeth, Leslie, Lloyd, Derek, Claudette, Donna and Pam all took their turn fulfilling house hold duties and the eldest, cared for the younger ones.&nbsp; In the 1950s my mother attended Bath Elementary School and was a good student. </p> <p> My mother was a great seamstress and made or fixed a lot of our clothing. She was also an expert at crocheting and knitting. A favourite thing my mom enjoyed doing was dancing, and we each got a taste of it in a personalized birthday song and dance. </p> <p> In 1966 when my mother was 22 years old, she met my suave father, Neville Murray who courted her till they married in 1973.&nbsp; </p> <p> 1974 saw the couple bravely leaving the comforts of their tropical paradise and migrating to Toronto, Canada where they forged a new life.&nbsp; The hope was to provide greater opportunities for their new young family.&nbsp; During this time, my mom worked faithfully as a seamstress at Rivera Garment Co.&nbsp; A few years later around 1976, Mississauga became home to the little family and my mother worked hard at L&rsquo;eggs Products to help my dad make ends meet.&nbsp; Here she made many friends, some of which she still had when she passed. </p> <p> Times and circumstances in my family changed, and a change of career led this forward thinking lady in the 1980s to study at Sheridan College to become a Health Care Aide.&nbsp; It was here my mother met Edmund and Felicia Prescott, who helped our family make a pivotal decision.&nbsp; We left our church at Erindale Bible Chapel and began attending Mississauga Seventh Day Adventist Church.&nbsp; The Prescotts became what I call our Spiritual Parents, for though my parents didn&rsquo;t attend the church, they began to build a strong spiritual legacy, and made sure all the children went to church. </p> <p> Not long after, my mother studied another course at Centennial College, to become a Sterilization Technician, and took a position at Credit Valley Hospital where she worked for almost 18 years until 2010 when she retired.&nbsp; As Mississauga SDA Church grew, another branch, Ebenezer SDA, was established. My mother decided to join that congregation.&nbsp; This was the group she worshipped with and learned about the love of God after she finally gave her life to Him in baptism almost 16 years ago. </p> <p> Joycelyn Murray was a warm, gentle, kind, loving person.&nbsp; She had the best smile.&nbsp; When she smiled, you just had to smile too.&nbsp; She was just and fair in her dealings and believed equality for all was the right way.&nbsp; She loved people and was always thinking about others.&nbsp; My mother loved her children and lived her whole life protecting and raising us as best as she could.&nbsp; It was my honour in her last few hours, to sit at her bedside holding her hand and assure her that she was a good mama.&nbsp; I let her know she had raised us well in the fear of the Lord and that we loved her.&nbsp; She nodded. </p> <p> My mother loved the Lord Jesus Christ, and though she chose Him a little later in her life, He had chosen her from the beginning, and she never left Him. My mother would sing hymns in her sweet little old lady voice, and she would always tell you to pray about every issue and read your bible. </p> <p> This is but a brief synopsis of the days of Joycelyn Lidora Murray, and I am assured that all her days have been numbered before even one of them came into being, for she sleeps under the watchful eye of God Almighty. She was our mother, sister, spouse and friend; her life and memory will always be cherished.&nbsp; Sleep well mama. </p> </div>