Joyce Barr Myer Weeks Anderson

Joyce (Joy) Barr Myer Weeks Anderson passed away January 7, 2024 at Unity Point Hospital in Grinnell, IA.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 am, January 16, 2024 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Grinnell.

A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Memorials may be designated to Grinnell United Methodist Church, St. Mary’s Catholic Church or PALS mailed in c/o of Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112.

Joy was born in Jasper County, IA to Laura Jean Barr and John Leland Barr on June 1, 1943, the oldest of three sisters. She graduated from Grinnell High School in 1961, and William Penn in 1965.

After graduating from William Penn, she took a job teaching second grade in Ida Grove, IA. While in Ida Grove, she was united in marriage to Larry Myer. The marriage ended in divorce.

After receiving her M.A. in education from Morningside College in 1969, Joy moved to Marshalltown, IA. There she taught first grade and was the team leader in an open space school.

Joy married Bill D. Weeks in 1974. This marriage saw the birth of Katharine (Katie) Jean Weeks in 1976. The family enjoyed traveling, especially to Hawaii and Palm Desert, California. They were active members of Grinnell United Methodist Church and the Grinnell

Country Club. Bill and Joy were married 38 years, until the time of Bill’s death in 2012.

In 2016 Joy was united in marriage to N. Dennis Anderson in Grinnell. The couple enjoyed traveling to South Dakota to visit Dennis’s family. They were married five years, until the time of Dennis’s death in 2021.

Passionate about her family and her role as a mother and grandmother, Joy was a nurturer. She was kindhearted, generous, and had a great sense of humor and loved to make people smile. Joy loved animals, especially dogs, and had many Scottish Terriers and one Yorkie. She was active in community theatre, the National Science Foundation, T.T.T. and Beta Sigma Phi. In recent years, she became a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Her hobbies included traveling, reading, shopping, listening to music, watching football and basketball, and playing board and card games. She had wonderful fashion sense and loved to dress nicely and get her hair and nails done. Her most treasured times were those spent with her family and friends.

Joy is survived by her daughter, Katie (Kevin) Cook, grandsons, Ian and Steven, brother-in-law James Barry, stepsons Dan, Tim (Anna), Pat (Jeaneal) and Jason Weeks, 4 step grandchildren, and 5 step great grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Bill Weeks, husband Dennis Anderson, and sisters Sandra Barr and Nancy Barry.