Joyce J. (McClure) Markham

Joyce Joan Markham, 93, of Belmond, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, October 31, 2020 at her home in Belmond.

Funeral services for Joyce Markham will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, November 5, 2020 at Ewing Funeral Home, 111 Luick’s Lane South in Belmond, with Pastor Leila Blackburn officiating. Burial will take place at the Belmond Cemetery.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 5, 2020 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Ewing Funeral Home, 111 Luick’s Lane South in Belmond.

Joyce Joan McClure was born October 17, 1927 to Roy and Eva (Thiel) McClure at the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital in Marshalltown, Iowa. She grew up in the State Center, Iowa area and later moved to the Belmond, graduating from Belmond High School with the Class of 1947.

Joyce was united in marriage with Donald Victor Markham on October 18, 1947. The couple made their home west of Belmond, where they lived out most of their lives until July of 2014 when they moved off the farm to town and had been residing there since.

In her early life, Joyce worked at The Mello-Maid and at Ted’s Shoe Store on main street until after the tornado in 1966. Later, she worked as a meter reader for the R.E.C. for many years traveling around Wright County.

Joyce was very active on the farm, working alongside Donald, running the combine in the fall and raising livestock, collecting and delivering eggs, and butchering chickens and turkeys. She was passionate about promoting beef, traveling to National Conventions and National Beef Cook-offs as active member of the Iowa Beef Industry Council and President of the Cowbelles for many years (later known as the Cattlewomens Association). She coordinated the beef booth at the Iowa State Fair for over 25 years serving up and promoting beef samples to the fair goers.

Joyce enjoyed gardening, canning and planting her flower garden in her earlier years. Later she spent her time sewing, crafting, quilting, crocheting blankets. She loved sharing her patterns. She loved collecting teapots from friends and also on her different adventures. Over the years she collected over 300 teapots and displayed them proudly. You could always find her reading farming magazines and newspapers to keep up on the farming reports, along with recipe magazines as she was well known for her cooking and baking, especially her lemon meringue pie.

Joyce and Donald wintered in Apache Junction, Arizona for 35 years and traveled to England to visit Donald’s family, as well as to Hawaii. She looked forward to TexMex night at Cattlemans every Thursday night and when in Arizona it was Garcia’s, meeting friends and catching up.

Joyce was an active member of the Belmond United Methodist Church where she served on the funeral and wedding committees for many years and was a member of the Belmond Women’s Auxiliary. She treasured the friendships she had made in her craft club.

Joyce will be remembered as a loving grandmother and great-grandmother. Her great- grandchildren were the joy of her life. She loved the time she had with them to cuddle and spoil them. She had a special basket for them to grab a trinket and always kept ice cream for them to enjoy.

She fought through five cancer surgeries and she was proud to boast she was healthy as an ox. At 93 she was strong-willed and independent and wasn’t going anywhere soon. She drove herself to Arizona every year for the winter.

Joyce is survived by her daughter Rebecca Markham-Anderberg, grandson Jordan Daniels, and great-grandchildren Jade, Zane and Shay Daniels, all of Belmond; her sister Mary Ellen (Gene) Ersland of Menominee, Michigan; and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Joyce was preceded in death by her husband, parents, her son, Douglas James Markham, and her brothers Donavon McClure, Robert McClure and Max McClure.