Bonita 'Joyce' Whitehead

Bonita "Joyce" Whitehead passed away Oct. 1, 2013, in Bella Vista, Ark., after enduring well 23 years of living with Parkinson's. We know she was received with joy in her Heavenly home. Joyce was born to Ona Theodore and Norma Story on Jan. 3, 1937. She grew up in Kansas and graduated from KU. She married Jerry Whitehead in 1959. She taught elementary school students for two-and-a-half years, then moved with her husband and two young children to Reno, Nev. She stayed home to raise her five children and volunteered in the community for PTA and Law Wives. Later, she studied at UNR for her M.Ed. She then taught at Katherine Dunn Elementary for 17 years. In 1977, she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was an active, devoted member throughout the rest of her life. She moved to Las Vegas with her son, Jeff, and his family for a time and then moved to Ohio with her daughter, Jocelyn, and family in 2001. They moved to Bella Vista, Ark., in 2006. Her last days on earth were made peaceful by the compassionate and loving care she received from everyone at Highland Healthcare. She had a magnificent smile and laughed frequently in spite of her debilitating disease. She enjoyed reading, sewing, crafts, walking. The most important things in her life were her faith, family and friends; she particularly adored her grandchildren. She is survived by five children and their spouses, Jeff and Maureen Whitehead, Jennifer and Brad Felix, Jon and Joanna Whitehead, Jocelyn and Wynn Peterson, and Joel and Carolyn Whitehead; 18 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.