Merdith Dee (Ray) Joy, 91
Merdith Dee Joy, 91, passed away on Jan. 23, 2025, at a nursing home facility in Selma, Texas, of complications of advanced age. She was born on Feb. 21, 1933, at Cathcart, Washington, to parents Willie Clarence Ray and Verna Ruby (Howell).
Merdith’s ancestors were early settlers of the Flathead Valley, coming to the area in the late 1800s to the 1920s from the Gallatin Valley, Montana, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma. They worked as farmers, ranchers and woods workers and struggled during the 1930s depression to remain in Montana. Merdith, dubbed with the nickname "little bug" for her small stature, and her siblings often stayed with her grandparents, Elmer and Minnie Howell, on their farm in rural Columbia Falls. The Howells were well known, as the grandfather worked as a steam engineer operating one of the first grain combines in the valley, and they also operated a truck farm, dairy, and kept a herd of elk, which they sold for meat. Grandmother Howell loved to visit the farm community and helped those in need, nursed the ill, sewed, quilted, fed all who sat at her table and raised 11 children, 10 to adulthood. The farm was the grandchildren’s safe haven, and they attended the Deer Park School there.
In 1947, Merdith "Mert" met the love of her life, Robert "Bob" L. Joy, in Whitefish. They married on Nov. 19, 1949, at the Whitefish Methodist parsonage. Their first child, Susan, was born in 1951, followed by their son, Tomas and their son, Craig. They resided for over 20 years on Dakota Avenue in Whitefish.
After the children were raised, the couple moved to rural Columbia Falls, and following the retirement of Bob, a conductor on the Great Northern Railway, they traveled and spent winters in warmer southwestern states. Several years later, they returned to Kalispell and cared for both of their mothers in their home. After Bob's death in 2002, Mert moved to the San Antonio area of Texas to live near her daughter and family. Susan, an RN, and her husband Tony, a retired Air Force captain, cared for Merdith over the years until her passing.
Bob and Mert loved their children and grandchildren and were proud of their accomplishments.
Merdith is survived by daughter, Susan (Anthony Vander Heyden); grandson, Anthony R. Vander Heyden and granddaughter, Anna M. (K. Shaun Warner) and great-grandchildren, Zoe and Peyton; son Tomas F. Joy (Darnell), granddaughters, Emily Joy and Amanda (Carl Zohrer) and great-grandsons, Carl and Xander; and son, Craig L. Joy (Rochelle) and grandson, Dr. David Joy. Also surviving are her sister, Lynne (Myron M. Boyle), nephew, Steven Boyle (Merry) and children; nephew, Shane Boyle (Kirsten) and children; and niece, Dr. Sharon Boyle (Michael Boswell) and daughter. Also surviving her is her nephew, Douglas Ray (Natalie) and family. Merdith also has several surviving cousins whom she was close to.
She is survived by nephews from her husband's family, Robert J. Fauske (Bonnie), Washington state; Mick Fauske (Patti), Columbia Falls; nieces, Patty Hodges Knutson, Kalispell; Kathy Scott, Columbia Falls; and nephew, Chris F. Joy (Tina) and son, Eureka.
An older brother, William C. "Bill" Ray, died in a logging accident in 1962. Merdith's husband also preceded her in 2002, at the family home in Kalispell.
A family graveside ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on July 12 at Glacier Memorial Cemetery to bury Merdith’s remains with those of her beloved husband, Robert.