Joyce Pauline Bryant passed away peacefully in Moseley, Va., on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021. She was 79.  
Joyce was born April 28, 1941, in Pettigrew, Ark., to Paul and Erma Jane (Mitchell) Thomas.  
In 1957 she married Lester Bryant and together they moved to Oklahoma and enjoyed a life full of love, family, and friends. Joyce retired from a career of 25 years as a Histology Lab Technician and Supervisor.
When she wasn’t busy taking care of her family, Joyce enjoyed square dancing, RV camping, quilting, shopping, and spending time with her many friends. She was an active member of Willieo Baptist Church and loved sharing time with her church family.  
She has loved and fought ferociously all her life. Joyce has never shied away from sharing what she believed as the truth and I know many of us have borne the brunt of her truth as she saw it. She was tiny but she was mighty. She loved to tell you that she was “ornery”. We were blessed to have shared time and adventures together: anniversaries, family vacations, weddings, births of grandchildren and great grandchildren and many holidays together.   
Joyce was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Lester Bryant.
Those family members that survive include her daughter, Shelia Humphrey and husband, Earl, of Virginia; son Dwayne Bryant of Inola; her special friend Terri Hunter; grandchildren Trip Humphrey and wife, Jenni, of Moseley, Va., Dwayne Humphrey and wife, Jana, of Cary, N.C., Nikki Johnson and husband, Jeremiah, of Inola; great-grandchildren Anna, Ava, Rylee and Vera; her brothers Arlie Thomas and wife, Jerri, of Perkins, Okla., Charles Thomas and wife, Pearl, of Yale, Okla.; and many nieces and nephews that she loved dearly and never hesitated to treat as her own children.
In lieu of flowers or food gifts, please consider making a contribution in Joyce’s name to one of the following: Lung Cancer Foundation of America, 15 South Franklin Street, New Ulm, MN 56073, Alpha-1 Foundation, Attn: Development Office, 3300 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Coral Gables, FL 33134, Inola Voluntary Animal Rescue, 30303 South 4195 Road, Inola, OK  74036, Willieo Baptist Church, P.O. Box 1304, Inola, OK 74036.