Joyce Ann (Hillyard) Richards

Joyce Ann Richards, 85, of Mt. Carmel, Illinois, passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 12, 2019 at Oakview Heights Continuous Care and Rehab.

She was born on January 24, 1934 in Mt. Carmel, the daughter of John “Doc” Harmon and Garnet (Schuler) Hillyard.

Joyce was a lifelong member of Evangelical United Methodist Church. She graduated from Mt. Carmel High School in 1952 and received a degree in early childhood education from Wabash Valley College later in her life. Upon receiving her degree, she worked at Mt. Carmel Daycare Center for several years before joining Wabash Area Vocational Enterprises (W.A.V.E.) where she worked for twenty-six years before her retirement. She loved her clients at W.A.V.E. and spoke of them long after her retirement.

She was an avid fan of Mt. Carmel High School Sports and St. Louis Cardinals baseball. She enjoyed volunteering for Special Olympics, including coaching the bowling team. She was also a member of the Mt. Carmel Civitan. She was very proud of her son Jeff’s service in the United States Navy and she volunteered with the Navy Mother’s Club during his service.

Loving mother and grandma, she always enjoyed traveling to Arizona and Colorado to visit her children and grandchildren, and began spending a few months there during the winter after her retirement.

Left to cherish Joyce’s memory are her children, Jacki Richards of Tempe, Arizona, John (Patsy Juarez) Richards of Lakeland, Colorado and Jeffery Richards of Sierra Vista, Arizona and two grandchildren, Jade (Tom) Poole of Denver, Colorado and Justin Richards of Lakewood, Colorado; also surviving are several grandogs and a grandcat.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Doc and Garnet.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday December 17, 2019 from 9:00 -11:00 a.m. at Short Funeral Home, 527 North Mulberry Street, Mt. Carmel, IL with funeral service beginning at11:00 a.m.; burial immediately following service at Highland Memorial Cemetery, next to her parents.

           Memorial contributions may be made to Evangelical United Methodist Church, Safe Haven of Mt. Carmel, or to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson Research (michaeljfox.org/donate)

Condolences may be made online at www.short-cunninghamfh.com.  Short-Cunningham Funeral Home is honored to serve Joyce’s family.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joyce Ann (Hillyard) Richards, please visit our floral store.