GLOUCESTER—Joyce Marie Cox Nickens was born May 19, 1940, in Iberis to the late Josephine Cox Frisby and Fred Douglas Smith.
Joyce was educated in the public schools of Lancaster County. At an early age, Joyce joined Willie Chapel Baptist Church where she served as a Deaconess.
Joyce was raised by her grandmother, the late Essie Cox until she was 10 years old. When Joyce’s grandmother became ill, she went to live with her mother and stepfather and younger siblings. She enjoyed caring for her family, cooking, cleaning and getting her siblings ready for school. She was a caregiver.
On September 15, 1956, Joyce was joined in holy matrimony to the late Russell Nickens and from the union they were blessed with three children, Russell Jr., Brenda and Angela. The joy of her life was caring for her children, grandchildren and everyone else. She was always willing to lend a helping hand.
Joyce worked at Virginia Elastic in Tappahannock for five years until she became employed with the United States Postal Service in Lancaster and Kilmarnock. She worked over 35 years until her retirement.
On Friday, April 26, 2024, Joyce entered her heavenly journey home to take her rest at the CSL, Gloucester House in Gloucester. Joyce was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Russell Nickens; her son, Russell Jr.; her parents, stepfather and five siblings, Edith, Joanne, Royal, Alvin and Terry; three aunts, Rosa Lee, Virginia Smith and Dorothy C. Kelley; one uncle, Phillip Cox Jr.; and two step brothers, John and Fred D. Smith Jr.
Joyce leaves to cherish her memory, two daughters, Brenda Mitchell (Sam) of Lancaster and Angela Henderson (Vernell) of Lancaster; two grandsons, Jeremy Nickens (Terra “TeeTee”) of Lancaster and Darius Mitchell (Iesha) of Warsaw; two granddaughters, Chanel Mitchell of Kilmarnock and Joycelyn Smith of Lancaster; one aunt, Bertine Jones Dunaway of Lancaster; seven sisters-in-law, Ernestine Yerby of Hyattsville, Md., Peggy Morris (Judge) of Gloucester, Virginia and Lousetta Carter (Gary) of Newport News, Carrie Nickens, Faye Nickens, Joyce Frisby and Carolyn Adell Frisby, all of Lancaster; seven great-grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
A Celebration of Life was held Sunday, May 5, at Willie Chapel Baptist Church.
