Joyce Coley

Joyce Coley was born on Tuesday, April 25, 1939, in Harrisburg, PA, daughter of the late Richard Benjamin Braxton and the late Inza-Margaret Taylor. Joyce was a graduate of Overbrook High in Philadelphia, PA. Very creative, she had a passion for music, quilting and sewing. In the early mid-eighties, she hosted Transitions in Music, her jazz show on WMSP. She had been living with dementia’s wrath, in stark contrast to her stoic persona and dry wit. For the past few years, her altered state of mind left her childlike and unable to communicate. Although I live in Georgia and she resided in Pennsylvania, I last saw her in person on June 9, 2025. I knew then it would most likely be the last time I would brush and plait her hair. It would most likely be the last time I would get to hold her hand, tickle her neck and hug her. It would most likely be the last time she would feel the warmth of my touch and the dampness of my kiss on her neck. But, I also knew it definitely would NOT be the last time she heard my, “I Love You.” Ms. Joyce Coley quietly passed away on Friday, July 4, 2025, at eighty-six years of age taking a long nap of peace she desired and hearing the last “I Love You’s” giving her permission to transition into peace. She is in a much better place now--calm, relaxed and finally able to share musical notes with her Daddy, crochet with her Mommy and debate with her Brother. She was loved and will be missed by many. Along with her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, William Forrest Sr., and her brother, Richard B. Braxton Jr. Very special and loving memories will be cherished by her brother, Barraud I. Braxton of Springfield, MA; sister, Juanona I. Martinez of Philadelphia, PA; sons, W. Forrest Coley Jr. of Atlanta, GA, David Melvin Coley of Centreville, VA, and Neil Warren Coley of Harrisburg, PA; three grandchildren; aunts, Mary M. Braxton, Ann E. Braxton; uncle, Stanley G. Braxton, along with other family members and friends. “I Love You, Mom,.. It’s OK to go, We’ll be fine down here.” Submitted by W. Forrest Coley Jr. and Family FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CLICK ON THE SHARE A MEMORY TAB TO POST VIDEOS, SHARE MEMORIES, CONDOLENCES, REFLECTIONS OR SIMPLY LEAVE YOUR NAME.

Tributes

Joyce Coley

April 25, 1939 - July 4, 2025