Joyce Elaine Hodshire

Joyce Elaine Hodshire, age 78, passed away on Monday, October 10, 2022, surrounded by family.  

She was born in Galveston, Texas on November 1, 1943 to Clifton and Lucille Heiligmann in the middle of  a hurricane where she was kept in a pot in the oven to be warm to ride out the storm. Joyce began  working for the Guadalupe Valley Telephone Co-op in the early 70s and from there began her career in  the accounting department while raising her two daughters. She was often found at a trail ride or a  rodeo cheering her daughters on. She was an avid animal lover and was known to have many different  animals such a blind kangaroo, bilingual parrot, sugar gliders, ferrets, goats, pigs and several horses  throughout the years. In her free time she loved to go square dancing where she met the love of her life,  Bill. In the late 80s, she was forced to retire early due to her multiple sclerosis. This sweet little 5 foot  firecracker was a force to be reckoned with throughout her health journey as she was faced with daily  struggles but always seemed to find the positive in every situation and fight through it all. She was  known to be quite feisty with her nurses and care team unless you were a cute male.  

Joyce is preceded in death by her husband and one true love of 31 years, Bill Hodshire, who she  married in 1982 and lost in May of 2013; also her parents, Clifton and Lucille Heiligmann; and brother,  Wayne Heiligmann.  

She is survived by her two children, Sherry Smith and her husband Brian of Seguin and Brenda Taylor, of  Lumberton; grandchildren, Rachael Ryan and her husband Jeremey, Delaine Smith and her husband  Cody, Kelsey Walters and her husband Jeremy, Brooke Smith; great-grandchildren, Trace French, Hunter  Walters, Evelyn Walters; sister, Evelyn Witting and her husband Robert; sister in law, Dee Heiligmann; honorary family member Ryan Reyes; and countless nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.  

Visitation for family and friends will be Saturday, October 15, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., at Lumberton Family Funeral Home, 766 S. Main St., Lumberton, TX 77657. Joyce’s life honoring memorial service will begin at 10:00 a.m., also at the funeral home, with Joe Simpson officiating.

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