Region 6 People - Joyce Lewis

Joyce Lewis passed away April 28, 2012, at the age of 94. Joyce was a hard working, humble man and was a friend to many of us in Region 6.

Joyce was born in Murchison, Texas, the son of Jack Wofford and Fannie Obie (Ard) Lewis. Jack was born in 1889 in the Ash Switch community near Athens, Texas. He served as Postmaster of Murchison, Texas, for a number of years and later became well-known as co-founder of the L. R. Barron Pea Co., processors of one of Henderson County's chief agricultural products. Jack died in Athens, Texas, September 10, 1967.

In 1936, Joyce graduated Salutatorian from Athens High School.

Joyce was a decorated pilot during World War II. He went overseas as a B-24 pilot in March of 1944, and served for eight months in the European Theater. He flew 51 missions over Europe and successfully landed his plane after being shot down on his last mission over Czechoslovakia August 24, 1944, in his B-24 Liberator, ironically named "Journey's End." He was awarded the Silver Star, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with three Battle Stars, and the Distinguished Unit Badge with one Oak Leaf Cluster. His rank at discharge was First Lieutenant Joyce wrote the poem "Airborn Thoughts" in 1944 while serving in the Air Force. A copy of this poem was sent to me by Tim Herrington. After the war Joyce owned a plane with his brother. On September 14, 1944, an article (copy provided by Tim Herrington) was written in the Athens Weekly Review, "Lt. Lewis Brings Wounded Fliers And Shattered Bomber In On Last Mission."

Returning to the family farm, he married Willie Allyene Worsham in December 1944. Joyce and Allyene had 4 daughters Martha, Beth, Joanna, and Jolene, and a son Joe Mark. Allyene lost her brave five-year fight against cancer on July 7, 1991. She lived a full life as a wife, mother, and professional nurse. Aware of the need for more nurses, she set up a scholarship fund at the Trinity Valley Community College in Athens. Although not as well known a daylily hybridizer as Joyce, she registered two cultivars: Hemerocallis 'Tres Butterfly' (1986) and H. 'Ground Hugger' (1989).

Joyce ran a large dairy herd a short distance from Athens, with his brother, John D. They combined milking cows with growing daylilies. The Lewis farm was called Bluebird Sands.

He was a School Board member and supported desegregation when it was unpopular in the South. He was District Champion Farmer and Henderson County Farm Bureau President.

Joyce's daylily mentor was his Aunt Agnes Carson (Mrs. W. K. Carson). She was also a second mother to him all his life, until her death March 30, 1983. Aunt Agnes purchased her first daylilies in the late 1930s from Hugh Russell who was peddling them door to door in Dallas. Moving to Athens, Texas, after World War II, her daylily garden and seedlings started attracting visitors from Dallas, Jefferson, Lufkin, Marshall, Waco, and other places as the knowledge spread that she sold all her daylilies each year as seedlings, keeping only a few of her best a second year for hybridizing purposes. She purchased the top daylilies of the time to out-cross with her own seedlings and was the most generous person Joyce ever knew with her seedlings. Her line was infused with the best of Hugh Russell, Edna Spalding, Lucille Williamson, and other great hybridizers. She joined the American Hemerocallis Society (AHS) in 1956, and presented Joyce with a gift membership two years later. Joyce attended his first daylily flower show in 1958, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on one of their annual visits to Edna Spalding's garden. Joyce was always Aunt Agnes chauffeur.

During each year's bloom season, if Joyce's family didn't drive to Aunt Agnes' home, she would drive the 12 miles to their house each Sunday with a tray of her best blooms, all full of fresh pollen. Her line became Joyce's line and her daylilies are in the ancestry of many present-day hybridizers. Joyce's first two registrations in 1972, H. 'Allyene Lewis' and H. 'Blushing Princess', were Carson seedlings his Aunt tried to give him. This was one of the few times he talked her into letting him pay $3 for a large clump of each.

Lula Mae Purnell held a very big place within Joyce's heart. He always came away from her programs with more inspiration and dedication to do better in whatever he was attempting to do. He was not too fond of miniature daylilies until he met Lula Mae and witnessed her love and enthusiasm for the small and miniature daylilies growing in her garden. He attended his first AHS National Convention in Dallas, in 1965, and Lula Mae's garden was one of the highlights of the Convention.

In 1967, Joyce became Region 6's first Treasurer, an office that had just been created. He started the treasury with nothing and worked hard to solicit funds to keep Region 6 running smoothly.

Joyce was an inspiration to many members of Region 6 and to the members of the East Texas Daylily Society for many years. He was 1984 President of Daylily Growers of Dallas and in 1990, a Charter Member of the East Texas Daylily Society. He served Region 6 as the1978-81 RPD and 1982-83 RVP.

Joyce helped start the Albuquerque Daylily Society and the now defunct Athens Area Hemerocallis Society.

Joyce served Region 6 for many years, in many different capacities, in fact if there was a job to be done, you can bet Joyce has done it.