Joy Grace Allen was an incredible bright light and a loving mother, sister, and friend. After a courageous battle involving several health complications, Joy suddenly passed away at the age of 71 on May 16th, 2022, surrounded by loved ones who will continue to honor her legacy by living their lives to the fullest. She was the cherished mother of two children, Amanda H. Allen and Scott M. (Jennifer) Allen. Treasured daughter of Laverne Fair Leathurby and (the late) George Leathurby. Loving sister to (the late) Mackenzie and Cameron Leathurby. Further survived by her sisters-in-law Luba Leathurby (niece Anastasia Leathurby) and Jacque Morrison, and other family and friends.
Joy was a true testament to her name, bringing so much delight to everyone in her presence and manifesting grace and love throughout her life. She was truly a selfless person who cared deeply and genuinely about others, continuing to shine her light in the midst of her darkest battles. Joy’s personality was contagious to everyone she met. She had such an excitement for life, made everyone feel loved and accepted just as they are, and was a champion of others at all times.
Joy was also an incredibly creative artist who took pride in her lifelong passion for bringing beauty into this world, spending many years as an interior decorator, also decorating for the Parade of Homes and several other personal clients. Inspired and dedicated to share her artistic gifts with this world in a new capacity, Joy pursued her passion of drawing and painting, creating many beautiful pieces of art that display her brilliance. Joy’s main motivation behind her artwork was to help others, dedicating her time and art to charities across the states to encourage and inspire others through the gift of creativity.
One of Joy’s greatest gifts was entertaining and bringing friends and family together. She was an amazing cook who loved hosting, serving others, and making holidays and celebrations as memorable as possible whenever possible. Fabulous is the only way to describe how she decorated the dining table for every occasion. Joy was always the last person awake at the party with a glass of wine in hand, sharing old stories from her childhood and reminiscing about past loved ones; she had an uncanny way of keeping late family members’ legacies alive through colorful, engaging, and memorable stories.
Joy loved meeting new people and was incredibly courageous and outgoing; she was never afraid to try something new or let the fear of failure or judgment from others stop her from pursuing her dreams or doing what was right. Joy was such an extraordinary woman who never judged a book by its cover. She always had time for you and loved to hear about how you were and what was going on in your life. Joy’s contagious compassion and remarkable personality will be immensely missed, but never forgotten.
A visitation will take place on Wednesday, June 15th, 2022 at Fox River Congregational Church, N34 W23575 Capitol Drive, Pewaukee, Wisconsin, 53072, from 10:00 AM until the time of memorial service at 11:00 AM.
Following the memorial service, we invite all family and friends in joining us to Joy’s Celebration of Life luncheon at one of Joy’s favorite restaurants North Star Bistro, 19115 West Capitol Drive, Brookfield Wisconsin 53045. Together we can remember Joy and her uniquely vibrant personality and share stories of her life together.
In lieu of flowers, donations made to the National Scleroderma Foundation (https://scleroderma.org/) or the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (https://phassociation.org/) are appreciated.
You Never Said Goodbye
You never said I’m leaving.
You never said goodbye.
You were gone before we knew it,
And only God knew why.
A million times we needed you.
A million times we’ve cried.
If love alone could have saved you,
You never would have died.
In life we loved you dearly,
In death we love you still.
In our hearts we hold a place,
That no one will ever fill.
It broke our hearts to lose you,
But you didn’t go alone
For part of us went with you,
The day God took you home.