Joyce Ann Barbour Quinn

On Thursday, January 26, 2023, the loving soul of Joyce Ann (Barbour) Quinn returned to the arms of her husband and Lord. She leaves a huge hole in the hearts of her family and friends who will greatly miss her feisty personality and joyful spirit. She loved deeply and to know her is to know you were loved.

Joyce was born on October 27, 1939, in Smithfield NC, to the late John Barbour and Minnie (Futch) Barbour. She was the youngest of 6 children and loved her siblings as deeply as they loved her. She enjoyed letting people know she was the baby of the family, and it blessed her to grow up with nieces & nephews who became more like siblings.

She met the love of her life, the late Dennis Quinn, from Braintree, MA, on Halloween in 1956 while he was stationed at Fort Bragg. He was handsome, a little wild, and a Yankee…and they fell completely in love, marrying two months later, on Christmas Eve. From that day forward they worked hard and played hard together. Joyce was a smart, driven woman, and for those that knew her, also “one good looking” woman! After 18 years of marriage, it was her dream to have a child. The adoption agency explained the requirements to adopt and she put “Quinn” to work. Joyce found a partially burned brick house in Garner, NC, convinced Quinn to buy it, get his general contractor’s license and rebuild it. Shortly after, a selfless young woman decided to give her soon-to-be daughter a chance at life. She would never know it would be the most wonderful life that Joyce, Dennis and their daughter could have imagined.

Joyce was a devoted mother, never missed a dance class, performance or important moment in her daughter’s life. For 47 years, she was her biggest cheerleader. She loved Christmas and family trips. Many happy memories were made traveling in the RV, on their plane that Quinn piloted, and especially on their vacations to Walt Disney World.

Joyce poured all her love and support into her family and friends. She was a member and Past Worthy Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star, Garner Chapter No. 321 and actively supported her Masonic and Shriner family. Her Rainbow girls held a very special place in her heart.

In 1993, Joyce and Dennis semi-retired to Pilot’s Ridge in Carolina Beach. Four years later, Quinn was diagnosed with cancer, and she stayed by his side every day for the next 5 months until his passing. She then moved to Pine Level to be near her daughter and sisters to begin a new chapter of life. She loved putting the top down on her red convertible and driving her friends all around town and even all the way to Florida.

In 2006, Kaley, her new favorite baby girl, was born. No love existed in her heart like what she felt that day holding her granddaughter in her arms. They loved playing together, having sleepovers, trips to the dollar store and getting hot fudge sundaes after-school. The bond between the “Quinn” girls was priceless.

Joyce fought breast cancer in 2010 and after 12 years in remission, cancer returned in her lungs. Always the fighter, the lung cancer went into remission, allowing her to share another year of love and laughter with those who knew her until God decided it was time for her to rest.

She is survived by her daughter Denise (Quinn) Southerland and husband Kirby, granddaughter Kaley, bonus grandsons Braydon and Chase and her sister Hilda Overbee, all of Johnston County. She was predeceased by her brother John Jr. and sisters Pauline Cash, Ailleen Radford, and Polly Watson. Joyce loved and was loved by numerous brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

Family and friends are welcome to attend a celebration of life, which will be held at the Bryan Lee Funeral Home in Garner on February 4 with visitation from 12:00-12:50 p.m. and a service at 1:00 followed by a graveside service at Montlawn Memorial Park in Raleigh. In lieu of flowers, she would prefer donations be made to the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, NC (https://mhc-oxford.org/).