Joyce Ann (Strickland) Parke was born on December 23, 1939 and went home peacefully to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on June 27, 2017 at the age of 77.

She was born to Earl and Ethel (Ahlemann) Strickland of Mackey, the fifth of thirteen children.

While growing up, she attended Mackey Church of the Nazarene, which her grandparents had helped found. She accepted Jesus as her Savior at a young age. She was a 1957 graduate of Mackey High School, and a graduate of Gradwohl School of Medical Lab Technique in St. Louis. She worked for many years as a hospital lab technician at Welborn Hospital and later at Windsor/Guardian Plastics in Evansville.

Joyce was married to Donald Ray Parke from 1959-1974. They had four sons (Steve, Mark, Philip, and John Parke).

She was so loving and kind to each one of us… always interested and active in our lives. She always found a way to be there for us, for both big and small life events.

She has nine grandchildren: Kristen (Kyle) Mayer, Brian (Ashlynn) Parke, Joshua Parke, Caleb (Penelope) Parke, Brittany (Jonathan) Crabtree, Nathan Parke, Jaron Parke, Ross Parke, and Annelise Parke. She also has three great-grandchildren (Zaeleigh Parke, Julia Mayer, and Tobias Parke).

She will be sorely missed by her friends and family, but we know that she is walking hand-in-hand with Jesus, completely whole, and reunited with her parents and loved ones!

Joyce is survived by her sons and their wives, Stephen & Leola Parke of Nampa, ID, Mark & Novella Parke of Nipomo, CA, and Philip & Joy Parke of Raymore, MO. She is also survived by her nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings: Ruth Ringham, Don Strickland, Marilyn Sellards, Bob Strickland, and Connie Barr.

Joyce was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings: Norman Strickland, Larry Strickland, Dennis Strickland, Lloyd Strickland, Bonnie Lundeen, Vonda Miles, and Norma Miller, and by her son, John Parke.

Friends and family are invited to visit at Corn-Colvin Funeral Home, 323 N Main St, Oakland City, IN from 4:00-8:00pm on Friday, June 30th. Viewing will also be held from 9:00-10:00am Saturday, July 1st, before the funeral service at 10:00am at Mackey Church of the Nazarene, with Rev. Bill Reed officiating. A short burial service will be held immediately thereafter at Townsley Cemetery, 1.5 miles east of Mackey, IN.