William Joy

Dear Friends and Family, It is so surreal that we are all gathered here under such tragic circumstances; yet we invite you to celebrate Bill, this faithful servant, with us. William Joy was born on July 3, 1936 in Billings, Mt to Lloyd M. and Elsie A. Joy. Bill is lovingly remembered by the mother of his children, Laura Joy-Brock, his children, Orrin (Jacki) Joy, Denise Joy, Ryan (Kelly) Joy, sister Gail (Paul) Joy-Smith, grandchildren Weston Joy, Tyas Hardianto, Shiana (Jeremy) Delker, Zack Joy, great granddaughter Shyanne Joy, and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his half-sister Nancy Forbes. Besides a baseball hat, Bill wore many hats, which included: • The Eucharistic Lay Minister, where he served over 11,000 people in the hospital since 2004. • Member of the Crow Tribe (adopted), where he was service to people he loved and who loved him. • Spiritual counselor, which led to long conversations about his Lord and how God's love changed his life. He was an evangelical Catholic believer. • Franciscan Brother, his most cherished spiritual hat, in 2017. He knew this was going to be a difficult path for him; he believed he was answering God's calling. • Law Enforcement, where he served for 25 years with compassion for people who were in deep despair without hope. He even donated blood for a prisoner who had a rare blood type like his. • Friend, a cherished hat. He never knew a stranger and would do anything for anyone in need, sacrificing on his part to the point he had to go without at times. He paid gas for those in need, bought groceries, delivered food, paid bills for others. There was such a magnitude of ways he served that it became a testament to us all to “walk the talk.” • Personal attributes: empathetic, strength, sacrifice, faithful servant, compassionate, stubborn, hard-headed, talker, warm-hearted, and most of all, a child of God. As we celebrate and reflect on Bill's life, regardless of which hat he wore, you would see the presence of Christ in his heart and spirit. His purpose was to love his Lord, follow the path and will of God, and to serve people. The challenge of his legacy is to follow his example as he tried to follow the example of Christ. https://billingsgazette.com/news/crime/authorities-identify-fatal-carjacking-victim-defendant-held-on-million-bond/article_1e95ed2c-1ec6-56d7-a4f9-5155467d9a8b.html