Joyce Lee Ford

Joyce Lee Ford, age 78, of Arlington, Texas, passed away on Friday, February 17, 2023. Joyce was born on March 2, 1944, in Orange, Texas to parents Andrus and Annie Mae Fontenot. Joyce attended George Washington Carver High School in Baytown, where she was a beautiful and spirited cheerleader. She began her academic career at Texas Southern University where she met and married the love of her life, Richard Ford. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth and received her master's degree in education from Tarleton State University, in Stephenville, Texas. She enjoyed a successful career as an educator in various school districts for over 40 years and retired as an accomplished and well-respected principal at Greenbriar Elementary.

She enjoyed traveling with her family, trying new recipes, and gardening in the backyard. She was also an avid reader with a particular affinity for crime thrillers and romance novels.

She is survived by her husband, Richard Ford, son Eric Ford, daughter Rachel Ford, brothers Landry and his wife Mae, Roy and his wife Delores, Daryl and his wife Bridgette, Dwayne, and her sister Helen as well as a host of nieces, nephews, and dear friends. She was a loving soul and a devoted wife, mother, aunt, teacher, friend, and advisor who will be dearly missed by those who had the privilege of knowing her.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, March 11, 2023, from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm at Holy Trinity Catholic Church (3826 Gilbert Avenue, Dallas, TX 75219). A reception will immediately follow, downstairs at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in her memory be made to the American Diabetes Association at https://diabetes.org/