Dr. John Rudy recalled stepping into a conference room with co-worker Joy Edwards and taking note of the words above the fireplace:
“Work hard, play hard, pray hard.”
That also seemed the way of life for the late Edwards, who suffered fatal injuries in an Easter Sunday crash on I-465.
Friday, First Assembly of God housed those who came to honor the woman, recalled for her efforts for smoke-free air in Kokomo. Described as a consummate professional, she also was remembered for her sense of humor.
Those who loved Edwards will hopefully undergo “a warm healing,” said the Rev. David Rose, speaking to the assembly. Edwards’ brother and sister-in-law, Tim and Tammy Wilson, performed the hymn “In the Garden.”
“I’ve known Joy for light years at St. Joe,” Rudy told the mourners. “She had an absolute passion for what she did,” he said, lauding her love of life, her boundless energy and enthusiasm.
For instance, he recalled the day she strolled into his office detailing the draining list of classes, meetings and other activities filling her plate the next day. “Her words and attitudes didn’t match,” Rudy said.
He said it then dawned on him she was bragging not complaining.
She led the Smoke-Free Kokomo Coalition and was instrumental in getting the Smoke-Free Workplace Ordinance passed in Kokomo. She taught QuitSmart Smoking Cessation classes, in which she gave smokers hope they could kick their habit.
“Yes, you can,” she’d tell struggling smokers. “I believe in you.”
While she abhorred smoking’s dangers,” she had a huge compassion for the smoker,” Rudy said. “She was fueled by love, not by anger.”
She developed the “Joy of Losing” weight loss program. A former resident of the current Gateway Gardens, she participated in health fairs there. She also received the American Heart Association’s Hero Award.
“She had such a wonderful sense of awe about everything,” Rudy continued, noting she believed that generally, “if you smiled at the world, it would smile back at you.
Edwards adored her mother and “she loved, loved, loved her children” — Brandon Thomas Wade, Amanda Joy (Wade) Kinsey, Courtney Renea Wade, and Kristin Ashley Wade — Rudy said.
Rose prompted laughs, recalling the time Edwards and her offspring were Florida bound.
On the U.S. map she was using, the Hawaiian Islands were placed — albeit geographically not accurate — close to the Sunshine State. She jokingly told her clan, “Hey, we’re just 20 miles away from Hawaii,” and — in jest — announced they were going there.
“We’ll never replace her,” Rose told the assembly shortly before they departed the church. “But we’ll be inspired by her.”
Memorial contributions may be made to the D. Joy Edwards Children’s Fund, which has been established at Key Bank. All locations are accepting contributions.
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Discussion
Many show love for Joy
Edwards remembered for all she did for the community.
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