Joyce E. Adams, 74, passed away December 29th, 2016 at Cape Canaveral Hospital.

She was born in Lyons, IL April 9th ,1942 to the late George and Julia Kocar. She graduated from Morton West High School and relocated her family to Florida in the early 60's. It was recommended by her high school teachers to her parents that she attend art school because she was such a gifted artist. Instead she started a family, her father insisting that she "did not need college to pin a diaper on a baby". She sewed little matching dresses for her first two daughters, Katherine and Lora. She enjoyed hunting and horseback riding in the Dakotas and Wyoming, scuba diving, commercial fishing, and spending time in South and Central America. She made cast nets, and tied flies for fly fishing. Her family owned livestock and an orange grove and she liked bottle feeding the baby cattle. She would say that the calves would call out 'MAAA' they were calling for their mothers. Her daughters brought home a few pets - turtles, a baby skunk, a blackbird. People knew her for having some unique pets - so when she was having a neighbor over for coffee, she was asked when she got a pet squirrel - she had no idea what the person was talking about when she looked up and saw a squirrel was climbing in the drapes - it had snuck into the house.. this was a story she liked to recall.

She volunteered her time in the elementary school clinic, and at the elections. She later went back to school to obtain a Certified Nurse's Assistant certificate and worked in various departments of Cape Canaveral Hospital - her favorite being the Maternity Ward. While a single working lady, her daughters' friends would stop by from time to time, they themselves called her "Mom". She was a very loving and forgiving person, other kids would wish she was their mother.

She loved nature, the outdoors, her family and pets. She was an excellent homemaker and cook. She enjoyed sewing, entertaining, and home decorating.

She was predeceased in life by both parents, daughter Lora, and husband Frederick.

Her life was not without a good deal of sadness, because of the tragic loss of both parents at the same time and later. a daughter, then her husband. She found Jesus in the last years and truly gave all this, and her life to Him. She loved to sing and pray. She found a lot of comfort where before, at times, her life was distressed.

She is survived by daughters Katherine S. Fulmer and Jennifer L. Adams, and brother George Kocar.

In lieu of flowers please make donation to immediate family for upkeep of animals.