Joyce Elaine (Gannon) Wood passed away peacefully surrounded by family on June 16th 2026 in her home in Bayfield, Colorado at the age of 84. A memorial service will be held on July 17th 2pm at Hood Mortuary Chapel in Durango, Colorado. Joyce was born July 7th, 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio to Raymond Gannon and Doris (Belknap) Gannon. She grew up in Mayfield, Ohio, and moved to North Miami, Florida in high school. A bright and creative student, she participated in Y-Teens, Drama, Pep and Science club. While visiting Miami Beach with her high school friends, she met a dashing young Air Force enlistee named Jerry as he passed through on his way to his first assignment at Homestead Air Force Base. After that, whenever Jerry had days off, the two would take buses to meet back up at Miami Beach. During this time, Joyce graduated high school and began studying at the Miami Art Institute. A few years later, in 1961, Joyce and Jerry married at Nichols Hills Baptist Church

in Jerry's hometown of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The following year, they welcomed a daughter they named Kerry. While raising Kerry, Joyce continued her education in the performing arts at University of Oklahoma, earning a masters degree. She was a talented artist, pianist and vocalist, singing in many choirs, musicals and operas. Perhaps she was most proud of her graduate showcase, where she directed and starred in her own musical. Along with performing, she was an accredited member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and had many students over the years, some of whom are still practicing today.

 A dedicated parishioner, Joyce attended church every Sunday, most recently at Pine Valley Church of Christ and St. Mark's Episcopal. Throughout her life, she was passionate about volunteering and helping her community, including through Girl Scouts of America and the Suicide Prevention Hotline. A beloved wife, devoted mother and cherished grandmother, Joyce is survived by her husband Jerry Wood, daughter Kerry Wood (Bob), granddaughter Shaylah Wood (E-N), sister-in-law Georgia Wood Gross (Harvey), and nephews Kevin and Michael. Joyce will be remembered for her creativity, her kindness, her intelligence, her adventurous spirit and her sense of humor. She had a knack for remembering fun facts about almost everything and very few could rival her in Jeopardy. Fearless, she would ride any rollercoaster and always faced life head on. She loved tea, travel, art, and most of all, her family and friends. She will be dearly missed.