- Date Of Birth: September 29, 1942
- Date Of Death: June 27, 2022
- State: Indiana
Mrs. Joyce E. Main, 79, of Elkhart, passed away quietly at the Hubbard Hill Retirement Community healthcare facility on Monday, June 27, 2022 at 5:28 am. She was born in Dunlap on September 29, 1942 and was the daughter of the late Loyal and Ruby (Snell) Smeltzer. On May 2, 1964, she married Carl C. Main in Elkhart, who has faithfully remained at her side ever since and survives her at home after 58 wonderful years together.
Also surviving Joyce is her son Charles (Jackie) Main of Elkhart; her brother Stephen (Virginia) Smeltzer of Arlington, Texas; sisters Rosetta Smeltzer of Phoenix, Arizona and Gloria (Karl) Saltzman of Albuquerque, New Mexico; grandson Christopher (Charissa) Main of Elkhart and Great grandson Logan Main, also of Elkhart. She will also be remembered and missed by a host of extended family, neighbors and good friends. Preceding Joyce in death is her brother, Loyal Smeltzer, Jr., and her sister, Sharon Hartman.
Joyce was a graduate of Concord High School and worked 30 years as a missionary with Cadence International (formerly the Overseas Christian Serviceman’s Center) This ministry’s mission was to reach out to our nation’s servicemen and women deployed overseas and provide them with respite and piece of mind with a familiar, home-like setting as well as providing access to the teachings of Christ.
Joyce was very serious about her mission work and was known to spend long hours in sometimes arduous conditions serving soldiers meals, often times spending entire weekends hard at work. Joyce was mainly based out of Germany and Arizona at this time, but she loved to travel, so whether it was mission work in the name of the Lord or just getting away with those she loved, Joyce was always willing to go!
She was also a long-time member of Sugar Grove Church, where she was involved with the women’s Bible study group for many years. She also enjoyed making “home-made” greeting cards from scratch, stamp collecting, doing jigsaw puzzles and keeping up on her needlepoint.
